WARRIORS: The Rebirth of Legends Book 1: Second Chances
by BrightStorm98
Summary: In the wake of battle with the Dark Forest, a final miracle occurred allowing cats from every Clan who had died have a second chance at life. Young Turtlepaw is the son of two cats of these cats, Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves, and is now training to become a warrior of ThunderClan. But not all cats have been given the second chance they deserve, and it's up to Turtlepaw to help them.
1. Alternative Universe Info

Hi everyone! Just wanted to be clear about a few things before we dive down this Alternative Universe rabbit hole. This is my alternate version of the 6th series of Warriors, so some of the same characters and plot points may be used, but I promise this'll be much, much different than the A Vision Of Shadows arc.

First I'm going to explain the three major differences in this alternative canon and then go Clan by Clan to detail how these changes have effected them before we begin the story.

Firstly, this fanfic changes the end events of Omen of The Stars Book 6: The Last Hope around a little bit.. The Dark Forest was still defeated and the Three (Dovewing, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze) still lost their powers afterwards, but these three major things are different than in the official Warriors canon:

1 - HAWKFROST TURNED AGAINST THE DARK FOREST BECAUSE HE AND IVYPOOL FELL IN LOVE. - Ivypool and Hawkfrost grew closer during her training in the Dark Forest and this made Hawkfrost realize that he'd let his father manipulate him out of ever having a mate, family, or really any sort of happiness in his life. He knew Tigerstar would kill him if he didn't go through with the assault on the Clans, but Ivypool intercepted him before the battle really began and begged him not to destroy the Clans she loved. His conflicting emotions got the better of him, and he told Ivypool he wouldn't stop for the Clans she loved, but for the only cat he had ever truly loved. He then ran away back to the Dark Forest, and Ivypool has not seen him since.

2 - BROKENSTAR DEALT THE KILLING BLOW TO HOLLYLEAF, NOT HAWKFROST. Since Hawkfrost wasn't in the battle at all, it was Brokenstar who was with Thistleclaw and Snowtuft on WindClan territory when they try to kill Ivypool for her treachery to the Dark Forest. Hollyleaf intervened and got her neck slashed, causing Ivypool and and Tigerheart to carry her back to ThunderClan's camp where she dies. Brokenstar's patrol follows close behind and storms the camp, resulting in Ferncloud getting killed and Yellowfang killing Brokenstar a second time. The dead cat Brambleclaw killed a second time was another Dark Forest cat from ThunderClan called Fennelnose. He was a white and brown tom with long matted fur and pale green eyes. Fennelnose wanted to kill Ivypool because she was a traitor.

3 - AFTER THE BATTLE ENDED, STARCLAN USED THEIR POWERS TO BRING TWO CATS FROM EACH CLAN BACK TO LIFE. This one is the biggest deal to the story. Since so many cats had died and StarClan was pretty much sitting on their paws during most of the time the Dark Forest was rising, StarClan used their powers usually only used to give leaders their nine lives and brought back two cats from each Clan to make amends. The cats they brought back are referred to in the story as "The Risen".

The Risen are:

Hollyleaf for ThunderClan, because she had given her life to protect her Clan and her life had been so turbulent finding out about her parentage. She was forgiven her trespasses and given another shot at life.

Fallen Leaves for ThunderClan, because he had died before his time and had helped Jayfeather and Hollyleaf many times as well as other memebers of ThunderClan. I also just really wanted him and Hollyleaf to get together.

Applefur for ShadowClan, because in this story I'm using one of the debunked "Missing Kits" theories that she was the daughter of Blackstar and Tallpoppy and I wanted Blackstar to live on in the Clan he fought so hard to rebuild their reputation. She trained in the Dark Forest but then died trying to save her father from losing a life.

Weaselkit for ShadowClan, because it's pretty obvious why he deserved a second chance. His death was one of the most cruel and heartbreaking in the whole battle and made Pinenose seem so cold later on. I made his father Redwillow to add some drama.

Hollowflight for RiverClan, because he seemed a lot like Ivypool in some ways and was an innocent dragged into the evil of the Dark Forest. He deserved another shot at being a loyal warrior.

Troutstream for RiverClan, because she died when a Dark Forest tom attacked her on the way back to her territory after fighting alongside ThunderClan. The tom was a former WindClan cat named Houndleap who was then chased off by Mintfur and Bouderfur of WindClan. The two brought her back to RiverClan's camp, where she was resurrected.

Ashfoot for WindClan, because she really deserved to become leader in my opinion and while I love Harespring/Harestar I just wanted to see another she-cat lead WindClan.

Sunstrike for WindClan, because she seemed like a really bright interesting cat that we never really got to know. She deserved another shot at life.

Now, since I've laid out what's changed, for the sake of ease to the reader, I'm going to go Clan by Clan and explain who died when during the three major events: The Great Battle, The Greencough Outbreak, and The Great Storm. Most of the events from Bramblestar's Storm, including the kittypets staying with ThunderClan, are canon. If an event is not listed for a Clan, it means no cats died from that event.

* * *

 **ThunderClan**

 _THE GREAT BATTLE_

Firestar: Died the same way as in The Last Hope after succumbing to his wounds after defeating Tigerstar the First.

Foxleap: Died of his infected wounds he sustained fighting in RiverClan's territory. He didn't get them looked at right away and they became more severe as he continued fighting after his mother, Ferncloud, got killed. He passed away a quarter moon after the resurrection, so this is why he was not up for resurrection.

Sorreltail: Like Foxleap, she died of her wounds after the battle and was not up for resurrection.

Ferncloud: Died the same way she did in The Last Hope, killed by Brokenstar.

Mousefur: Died the same way she did in The Last Hope, killed fighting a Dark Forest tom.

 _THE GREENCOUGH OUTBREAK_

Sandstorm, she collapsed from over exertion one day and camp and was confined to the medicine cat's den. She caught greencough there and died several sunrises later.

Dustpelt, he lost his will to live after losing his mate, Ferncloud, in the battle and weakened and died from the disease shortly after catching it.

Brackenfur, he hid his symptoms and kept hunting and working on rebuilding camp for his two young kits Sorreltail left behind. By the time his symptoms were noticeable, it was too late.

Whitewing, she was wounded badly after The Great Battle and then was one of the first who got greencough. She died from the combination.

Mousewhisker, he became so weak that he couldn't even eat or drink and died of dehydration.

Toadstep, he gave his herbs to Briarlight to try and keep her alive because seeing Briarlight alive gave his Clan hope.

Briarlight, she began giving her herbs to others in the den because she felt guilty after Toadstep died.

Dewkit, he was a strong kit but couldn't fight off the illness.

 _THE GREAT STORM_

Cherryleap, she drowned trying to save Purdy, who was swept away into the overflowing lake from camp.

Seedpaw, she drowned the same way as in Bramblestar's Storm trying to retrieve the Stick of The Fallen.

Purdy, he let all the younger cats climb the slope before him and was swept into the overflowing lake from camp.

* * *

 **ShadowClan**

 _THE GREAT BATTLE_ (NOTE: All ShadowClan cats who died in the battle died the same way as in The Last Hope).

Cedarheart

Olivenose

Redwillow

Shrewfoot

Starlingwing

Tallpoppy

Toadfoot

 _THE GREENCOUGH OUTBREAK_

Pouncetail, he was old and weakened easily.

Bluebellkit, she didn't actually get greencough during the outbreak but instead caught it from exposure to the flood waters in the Great Storm.

 _THE GREAT STORM_

Blackstar, he drowned because he refused to leave camp until everyone else was out.

Stoatfur, he drowned because the camp flooded suddenly and he couldn't swim.

Ivytail, she drowned trying to save Littlecloud's herb supplies.

Smokefoot, he drowned helping save Dawnpelt's young kits.

* * *

 **RiverClan**

 _THE GREAT BATTLE_

Grasspelt, he was killed in the fighting in ShadowClan trying to defend the nursery by Shredtail.

Dapplenose, she was killed in the fighting in RiverClan by Mapleshade trying to defend the nursery.

Mossyfoot, she died of her wounds after the battle was over and was not up for resurrection as a result.

Robinwing, he was killed by Tigerstar when he attacked RiverClan. Mistystar and Oakheart chased him off after he was killed.

Graymist, she was killed by a gang of Dark Forest cats led by Tigerstar when he attacked RiverClan's camp. Leopardstar killed the one who dealt the killing blow a second time to avenge her.

 _THE GREAT STORM_

Pouncefoot, he was swept away into the lake because the river began to overflow suddenly.

Rushtail, he drowned because due to injuries he sustained in The Great Battle he could no longer swim and had to retire very young.

* * *

 **WindClan**

 _THE GREAT BATTLE_ (NOTE: All WindClan cats, except Lightpaw who is an OC, who died in The Great Battle died the same way they did in The Last Hope):

Owlwhisker

Swallowtail

Thistleheart

Tornear

Webfoot

Boulderfur

Lightpaw, daughter of Thistleheart and Leaftail and sister of Crouchfoot, she died of her wounds after the battle was over. She was a long haired white she-cat dark ginger ears and tabby striped tail and amber eyes.

 _GREENCOUGH OUTBREAK_ (NOTE: Two of these cats are OC's. I also have made Emberfoot and Sedgewhisker's daughters the same age in this and have them be born shortly after the Great Battle. Larkpaw introduced in The Forgotten Warrior has been replaced by Crouchfoot's sister, Lightpaw, listed above).

Onestar, he lost one life in The Great Battle, leaving him with one left, which he lost to greencough.

Furzepelt, she refused treatment since she trained in the Dark Forest.

Leaftail, he was severely depressed after losing his mate Thistleheart, and his daughter, Lightpaw, in the Great Battle which made him vulnerable to the illness.

Vinekit, the brother of Larkpaw and Fernpaw, he was weak from lack of food during leafbare and succumbed to the illness. He was a pale brown tabby with black stripes and green eyes.

Deerkit, the brother of Larkpaw and Fernpaw, he died the same way his brother did. He was a long legged solid brown tom with amber eyes and a white muzzle.

Whiskernose, he was old and weakened easily.

Well that just about wraps it up. There are other canon differences, mostly concerning when certain characters were born and who their parents are and whatnot, but I'll point that out before a chapter begins if it's relevant. Alright, let's get started!


	2. Allegiances

**EDIT 6/22/2018:** _Changed mother of Spikepaw and Grasspaw in ShadowClan and added a few other loners._

* * *

 **ThunderClan**

 _LEADER_

Bramblestar: Huge, muscular dark brown tabby tom with glossy fur, a long scar on his shoulder, and amber eyes.

 _DEPUTY_

Squirrelflight: Dark ginger she-cat with a bushy tail, one white front paw, and green eyes. APPRENTICE, Stormpaw

 _MEDICINE CATS_

Leafpool: Small, lithe pale brown tabby she-cat with a white paws and chest and amber eyes.

Jayfeather: Mottled pale gray tabby tom with thin silky fur and blind blue eyes.

 _WARRIORS_

Thornclaw: Large golden brown tabby tom with a graying muzzle and sky blue eyes.

Spiderleg: Long limbed black tom with a brown underbelly and amber eyes.

Birchfall: Brown tabby tom with glossy fur and amber eyes. APPRENTICE, Yellowpaw.

Hazeltail: Small fluffy gray and white she-cat with broad shoulders, a lean whippy tail, and green eyes.

Berrynose: Cream-colored tom with broad shoulders and head, amber eyes, and a thick short stump for a tail.

Poppyfrost: Pale dappled tortoiseshell (ginger and black) and white she-cat with a sleek pelt and ice blue eyes. APPRENTICE, Mudpaw.

Lionblaze: Broad-shouldered golden brown tabby tom with big pale paws and sun-colored amber eyes.

Hollyleaf: Long furred pure black she-cat with a bushy tail and holly green eyes. One of the Risen.

Fallen Leaves: Thin ginger and white patched tom with a white muzzle, small paws, and green eyes. One of the Risen.

Icecloud: Muscular snowy white she-cat with a sleek thick pelt and ice blue eyes. APPRENTICE, Silverpaw

Rosepetal: Lithe dark cream-colored she-cat with brown markings on her face and legs and green eyes.

Bumblestripe: Bulky pale gray tabby tom with black stripes, thick fur, and blue eyes.

Ivypool: Slender pale silver and white tabby she-cat with shredded ears and dark blue eyes. APPRENTICE, Turtlepaw.

Molewhisker: Large brown and cream-colored tom with thick short fur and yellow eyes.

Lilyseed: Small dark golden brown tabby she-cat with white patches across her pelt and blue eyes.

Snowbush: Fluffy pure white tom with long and thick pelt and amber eyes.

Ambermoon: Small pale ginger tabby she-cat with a paler underbelly and wide pale blue eyes.

 _APPRENTICES_

Stormpaw: Gray tabby tom with a darker tail, a thick soft pelt, and bright yellow eyes. Formerly Frankie.

Mudpaw: Long furred pale brown she-cat with black ears and tail tip and amber eyes.

Yellowpaw: Fluffy cream colored tom with flecks of yellow across his pelt and blue eyes.

Turtlepaw: Small black tabby tom with a white muzzle and front paws and ice blue eyes.

Silverpaw: Long furred silvery white she-cat with ginger splotches across her pelt and bright green eyes.

 _QUEENS_

Cinderheart: Slender dappled gray tabby she-cat with a broad head, a long sleek tail, and dark blue eyes. Mother of Lionblaze's kits: Foxkit, Sorrelkit and Fernkit.

Blossomfall: Long and thick furred tortoiseshell (brown, gray, and ginger) and white she-cat with petal-shaped white patches across her pelt and yellow eyes. Mother of Thornclaw's kits: Specklekit and Treekit.

Dovewing: Pale smoky gray she-cat with fluffy soft fur and amber eyes. Expecting Bumblestripe's kits.

Daisy: Long furred cream-colored she-cat with bright ice blue eyes from Horseplace.

 _ELDERS_

Graystripe: Large shaggy dark gray tom with a wide darker stripe down his back, a broad face, and yellow eyes.

Millie: Small short furred light gray tabby she-cat with a torn ear and blue eyes.

Cloudtail: Heavy snowy white tom with a thick, long, and fluffy pelt and blue eyes.

Brightheart: White she-cat with ginger patches down her back, a ginger tail, shredded ears, fur torn from her face, and one bright blue eye.

 _KITS_

Foxkit: Reddish golden she-kit with thick long fur and amber eyes.

Sorrelkit: Dark brown tabby she-kit with thick tufty fur and green eyes.

Fernkit: Sleek yellow tabby tom with golden brown stripes and dark blue eyes.

Specklekit: Honey golden she-kit with white paws, belly, and speckles on her chest and blue eyes.

Treekit: Splotchy gray and brown tom-kit with long gray legs and yellow eyes.

 **ShadowClan**

 _LEADER_

Rowanstar: Lithe, muscular dark ginger tom with a paler muzzle and back leg and amber eyes.

 _DEPUTY_

Crowfrost: Sleek black and white tom with a white chin, belly, and front paws and golden eyes.

 _MEDICINE CAT_

Littlecloud: Small, thin brown tabby tom with a brown nose and light blue eyes. APPRENTICE, Wasppaw

 _WARRIORS_

Tawnypelt: Lean mottled pale tortoiseshell (brown, gray, and pale ginger) she-cat with green eyes and a white circle of fur around one eye. APPRENTICE, Grasspaw

Owlclaw: Pale brown tabby tom with thin darker stripes and orange eyes.

Scorchfur: Big dark gray tom with raggedy slashed ears and dark amber eyes.

Tigerheart: Big, sleek and thick furred dark brown tabby tom with a long tail and dark amber eyes.

Dawnpelt: Cream colored she-cat with soft glossy fur and dark amber eyes.

Rippletail: Sleek white tom with silvery streaks across his pelt and blue eyes. APPRENTICE, Stonepaw

Berryheart: Thick short furred black and white she-cat with a white face, ears, underbelly, and paws and blue eyes.

Cloverfoot: Fluffy gray tabby she-cat with darker paws and green eyes.

Ferretclaw: Splotchy gray and cream-colored tom with sky blue eyes and a fluffy tail. APPRENTICE, Spikepaw

Pinenose: Large black she-cat with sleek and short fur and dark green eyes.

Sparrowtail: Large, sleek brown tabby tom with yellow eyes and thin barely visible stripes.

Mistcloud: Spiky furred pale gray she-cat with a long thick tail and blue eyes.

Weaseltooth: Mottled black and brown tom with sleek fur and amber eyes. One of the Risen. Son of Redwillow and Pinenose.

 _APPRENTICES_

Grasspaw: Light brown tabby she-cat with a thick long pelt and grassy green eyes.

Spikepaw: Heafty dark brown tom with tufty fur on top of his head and green eyes.

Wasppaw: Pale yellow tabby she-cat with long fur and pale green eyes.

Stonepaw: Short haired pure white tom with broad shoulders and bright blue eyes.

 _QUEENS_

Applefur: Mottled brown she-cat with green eyes and battle scars across her body. One of the Risen. Mother of Rippletail's kits: Dashkit and Finchkit.

Snowbird: Sleek, lithe, well-muscled, pure white she-cat with green eyes. Mother of Scorchfur's kits: Yarrowkit and Beekit.

 _ELDERS_

Oakfur: Thin furred pale brown tom with dark green eyes and a thin tail.

Ratscar: Skinny, battle scarred dark brown tom with a patchy tail, green eyes, and long scar across his back.

Whitewater: Pure white she-cat with long fur and blind in one of her eyes.

Snaketail: Dark brown tom with a tabby striped tail and a gray flecked chin.

Kinkfur: Sleek dark gray tabby she-cat with thick spiky fur that sticks out at all angles and yellow eyes.

 _KITS_

Dashkit: Long-legged white she-cat with jet black front paws, black splotches down her back, and blue eyes.

Finchkit: Mottled brown tom-kit with lighter creamy brown streaks across his pelt and green eyes.

Yarrowkit: Ginger tabby she-kit with a paler chest and paws and yellow eyes.

Beekit: Small, stocky, sleek white she-kit with black ears and green eyes.

 **RiverClan**

 _LEADER_

Mistystar: Lithe blue gray she-cat with a thick, dense, and sleek pelt, a plumy tail, and ice blue eyes.

 _DEPUTY_

Reedwhisker: Slender black tom with neat small ears, thick dense fur, a fluffy tail, and dark gray eyes.

 _MEDICINE CATS_

Mothwing: Small long furred dappled dark golden tabby she-cat with rippling stripes, a triangular face, and big amber eyes.

Willowshine: Small, lithe, sleek dark gray tabby she-cat with thick fur and bright green eyes.

 _WARRIORS_

Mintfur: Light gray tabby tom with small swirled stripes, a white face and chest, paler toes, and amber eyes.

Duskfur: Thick furred brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes and a paler muzzle.

Sneezecloud: Gray tom with a white underside, a thick furred tail, and pale green eyes.

Mallownose: Pale brown tabby tom with broken thin darker stripes and yellow eyes. APPRENTICE, Perchpaw.

Troutstream: Pale gray tabby she-cat with a plumy tail and pale yellow eyes. One of the Risen. APPRENTICE, Havenpaw.

Hollowflight: Dark brown tabby tom with a sleek paler brown belly and orange eyes. One of the Risen. APPRENTICE, Lizardpaw.

Minnowtail: Sleek dappled dark gray and white she-cat with black spots down her back and amber eyes.

Shimmerpelt: Pale silver gray she-cat with soft glossy fur and clear pale blue eyes.

Lakeheart: Gray tabby she-cat with a silver face, chest, and underbelly and soft gray eyes.

Heronwing: Mottled dark gray and black tom with a feathery pelt and hazel eyes.

Curlfeather: Pale sandy brown she-cat with thick sleek fur that curls slightly around her face and pale green eyes.

Podlight: Large, sturdy pale gray and white tom with amber eyes and powerful haunches.

 _APPRENTICES_

Lizardpaw: Muscular light brown tom with long fur and sky blue eyes.

Perchpaw: Splotchy pale gray and silvery white she-cat with broad-shoulders and green eyes.

Havenpaw: Black she-cat with silvery white paws, neck, chest, face, ears, and tail tip and light blue eyes.

 _QUEENS_

Petalfur: Mottled pale gray and white she-cat with soft long fur and amber eyes. Mates with Mallownose and mother of his kits: Brackenkit, Jaykit, and Owlkit.

Icewing: Lightly built pure white she-cat with a scored muzzled and green eyes. Mates with Mintfur and mother of his kits: Eelkit and Branchkit.

 _ELDERS_

Mosspelt: Mottled tortoiseshell (dark gray and brown) and white she-cat with blue eyes and white chest fur.

Pebblefoot: Pale gray tom with darker and lighter speckles across his pelt and bright green eyes.

 _KITS_

Brackenkit: Tortoiseshell (russet, pale brown, and black) she-cat with thick fur and pale yellow eyes.

Jaykit: Gray tom with lighter flecks that look blue in some lights and amber eyes.

Owlkit: Large dark gray tabby tom with a paler underbelly and muzzle and amber eyes.

Branchkit: Splotchy brown and white she-cat with yellow eyes and a sleek pelt.

Eelkit: Glossy long furred dark gray she-cat with a long tail and blue eyes.

 **WindClan**

 _LEADER_

Ashstar: Broad-faced ash-gray she-cat with long limbs, a scar on the side of her neck, short sleek fur, and bright blue eyes. One of the Risen.

 _DEPUTY_

Gorsetail: Very pale gray and white she-cat with light blue eyes and a pure white tail. APPRENTICE, Larkpaw

 _MEDICINE CAT_

Kestrelflight: Dappled grayish brown and white tom with white mottles across his pelt like kestrel feathers and amber eyes.

 _WARRIORS_

Crowfeather: Small, slender very dark gray, almost black tom with long limbs, sleek fur, and blue eyes.

Harespring: Large, lean, broad-shouldered mottled brown and white tom with a long tail and sky blue eyes. APPRENTICE, Fernpaw

Weaselfur: Lithe ginger tom with darker streaks across his pelt, white paws, and yellow eyes.

Emberfoot: Wiry gray tom with large darker front paws and dark amber eyes.

Sedgewhisker: Light brown she-cat with darker tabby points, thick short fur, and yellow eyes.

Crouchfoot: Muscular, mottled light ginger tom with large paws, a thin tail, and yellow eyes.

 _APPRENTICES_

Larkpaw: Light brown tabby she-cat with thin broken darker stripes and dark amber eyes.

Fernpaw: Gray tabby she-cat with darker stripes, thick short fur, and dark blue eyes.

 _QUEENS_

Sunstrike: Patched tortoiseshell (brown, gray, and black) she-cat with a large white mark in the middle of her forehead and dark amber eyes. One of the Risen. Mates with Harespring and mother of his kits: Slightkit, Featherkit, Hootkit, and Oatkit.

Heathertail: Small, lithe, sleek light brown tabby she-cat with thick soft short fur and smoky blue eyes. Mother of Breezepelt's kits: Smokekit and Brindlekit.

 _ELDERS_

Whitetail: Small pure white she-cat with bright green eyes and a thick furred tail.

Nightcloud: Lean pure black she-cat with a short sleek pelt and amber eyes.

 _KITS_

Slightkit: Black tom-kit with a big white flash on his chest and dark amber eyes.

Featherkit: Lean, broad-shouldered gray tabby she-kit with soft fur and sky blue eyes.

Hootkit: Large, wiry, thick short furred dark gray tom-kit with long limbs and yellow eyes.

Oatkit: Pale brown tabby tom-kit with ripping darker stripes, white tail-tip, and yellow eyes.

Smokekit: Very dark gray almost black she-kit with long limbs and tail and smoky blue eyes.

Brindlekit: Mottled pale brown she-kit with a thick, soft, and short pelt and dark amber eyes.

 **Cats Outside The Clans**

Smoky: Muscular pale gray and white tom with bright green eyes who lives at Horseplace.

Coriander: Tortoiseshell (ginger and black) and white she-cat with long fur and amber eyes who lives with Smoky.

Rin: Stocky brown she-cat loner with soft long fur, a notch out of one ear, and green eyes. Mother of Spikepaw and Grasspaw of ShadowClan.

Jingo: Dark brown tabby she-cat with the tip of her tail missing, a graying muzzle and front paws, and yellow orange eyes.

Hussar: Large, broad-shouldered gray tom with a long scar along his side and blue eyes.

Speckle: Brown she-cat with darker flecks across her pelt and green eyes.

Jet: Long-haired black tom with scars across his body and amber eyes.

Chirp: Pale gray tabby tom with thin darker stripes and bright green eyes.

Merry: Small bright ginger and white she-cat with thick fur and green eyes.

Bread: Large, bully dark tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes and a plumy tail. Daughter of Speckle.

Bonita: Slender fluffy black she-cat with a torn ear tip and bright yellow eyes. Daughter of Speckle.

Frisk: Large brown tabby tom with flecks of black across his pelt and green eyes. Son of Speckle.

Evanna: Speckled black she-cat with white flecks across her back, patches of white fur on her tail, and dark yellow eyes. Daughter of Speckle.

Bramble: Dark brown tabby tom with thick silky fur, lighter front toes, and green eyes. Jingo's son.

Leo: Large, thick furred ginger tom with white paws and green eyes. Son of Hussar and Merry.

Meeces: Small bright ginger and white tom with long white limbs and light green eyes. Son of Hussar and Merry.

Addie: Fluffy smoky gray and white tabby she-cat with a long swooping tail and sharp yellow eyes. Halle's sister.

Halle: Reddish brown tabby she-cat with white splotches across her pelt, thick long fluffy fur, and pale green eyes. Mates with Bramble and expecting their kits.

Lupe: Splotchy tortoiseshell (ginger, and black) and white she-cat with a white underside and face and soft blue eyes. Jet's daughter.

Pine: Long bodied brown she-cat with a white belly and front legs, tufted ears, and blue eyes. Dusty and Lynn's mother. Mates with Chirp and mother of their kits: Rabbit, Soot, and Birdie.

Rabbit: Small thick furred brown tom-kit with a fluffy white tail and pale blue eyes.

Soot: Long bodied pale gray she-kit with dark green eyes, tufted ears, and a tabby striped tail.

Birdie: Mottled light brown and gray she-kit with green eyes and a white tail tip.

Dusty: Pale creamy brown tom with white legs, tufted white ears, and dark blue eyes.

Lynn: Long-bodied white she-cat with tufted black tipped ears and green eyes.

Sunshine: Ginger and white she-cat kittypet with thick fluffy fur and dark blue eyes.

Ink: Black tom kittypet with thick silky fur, a white streak on his chest, and pale blue eyes.

* * *

 _SHIPS PER CLAN_

ThunderClan: Bramblestar and Squirrelflight, Thornclaw and Blossomfall, Spiderleg and Daisy (Yellowpaw and Mudpaw are their second litter of kits), Berrynose and Poppyfrost, Lionblaze and Cinderheart, Fallen Leaves and Hollyleaf, Bumblestripe and Dovewing, Graystripe and Millie, and Cloudtail and Brightheart.

ShadowClan: Tawnypelt and Rowanstar, Dawnpelt and Crowfrost (their first litter of kits are Wasppaw and Stonepaw), Rin and Owlclaw (Rin was a loner ShadowClan took in after she was injured while passing through the territory during The Great Battle; their kits are Spikepaw and Grasspaw, who are occasionally visited by their mother), Snowbird and Scorchfur, Applefur and Rippletail, and Berryheart and Sparrowtail.

RiverClan: Reedwhisker and Minnowtail (they've had two litters and a total of six kits together: Lakeheart, Shimmerpelt, Heronwing, Perchpaw, Havenpaw, and Lizardpaw), Mintfur and Icewing, Pebblefoot and Duskfur, Mallownose and Petalfur, Troutstream and Hollowflight, and Sneezecloud and Lakeheart.

WindClan: Sedgewhisker and Emberfoot, Sunstrike and Harespring, and Crowfeather and Nightcloud.

Outside The Clans: Smoky and Coriander, Hussar and Merry, Chirp and Pine (Lynn and Dusty have a different father), and Bramble and Halle.


	3. Prologue

It was past moonhigh when the kits' kicking woke Hollyleaf out of the dreamless sleep she was having. Her nest was lined with feathers and tufts of rabbit fur but the nip of the leafbare air still crept in subtly. Her body felt uneven and bulky, and her hips and tail swung clumsily despite her best efforts to keep them as still as possible as she rose from her nest. She gritted her teeth in frustration; no one had ever told her that carrying kits would make her as bulky as a bear.

The black she-cat stepped around Daisy and her moon old kits carefully, silently feeling a rush of affection for the little bundles of fur as she ducked out of the nursery. She was happy the cream-furred queen had made up with her mate, Spiderleg, at last and they had brought a new litter of kits into ThunderClan. And despite it being the dead of leafbare, Mudkit and Yellowkit's birth was a welcome distraction from all the death that seemed to surround the camp. Greencough had been tormenting many of Hollyleaf's Clanmates for a moon and a half now, and while Icecloud and Hazeltail were almost well, seven of their other Clanmates had journeyed to StarClan.

Just two nights ago Graystripe, Millie, and their other kits had sat vigil for Briarlight who finally succumbed to her illness in the center of camp by the fallen beech tree. Millie had joined the elders den the dawn she buried her daughter, joining Graystripe after just a single moon. The deaths of old dark gray tom's closest friends, Sandstorm and Dustpelt, made him decide to retire. His decision was met with nothing but support as no other cat deserved more respect and peace after so many moons of service.

Hollyleaf headed for a corner of the hollow along the rocky wall under a small birch tree, leaving paw prints in the shimmering new sheet of snow on the ground. She sat back against the roots and fluffed our her pelt out as a nipping wind came across the camp. She often sat here when she needed to let her mind drift during the day or when she needed to think at night.

This place was more special to her than any cat could know. This was where everything changed.

...where she had come back from the dead...

A shiver of fear and guilt went down her spine even though it had been four moons since The Great Battle. Brokenstar and some of his followers had tried to kill Ivypool for betraying the Dark Forest while they were aiding WindClan and she'd leapt to push the silver and white tabby out of the way of the snaggled claws of the evil former leader. His claws had cut long and jagged across her side to her neck, staining the grass of the moor crimson as Tigerheart barreled into her attacker, snarling in vain.

In the haze of agony she heard the distressed cries of Ivypool begging for Jayfeather to save her after she'd been carried badly bleeding back to the stone hollow, to her home...ThunderClan. Even with her limited knowledge of healing, she knew that the wound was fatal, so she said her goodbyes to those around her, especially her birth mother Leafpool, before she let the heavy darkness swallow her consciousness...

And then...she opened her eyes, the dried blood on her dark pelt was aglow with starlight and her heart began to beat proudly like a rumble of thunder once more. Before her stood starry cats, among them Clanmates slain during the fighting, and they spoke to her and all the awed cats watching.

"By the power of the stars, we give you this second chance," Firestar, her leader and kin meowed, his flaming pelt twinkling with stardust. "Your life was taken from you too soon, and we have restored it."

A pale blue-gray she-cat who was unmistakably the legendary Bluestar stepped beside her former apprentice. "We have chosen you because your loyalty to ThunderClan is undeniable. Use this gift to help your Clan heal the scars left by the Dark Forest's claws. The past is behind you, help lead your Clan to the future."

"Forgive yourself your past mistakes," Her heart nearly stopped again as the pale gray form of Ashfur, the cat she'd murdered, padded to the other side of Firestar. "Accept your flaws, make peace with what you cannot undo, and do what you can in the here and now." The tom's eyes drifted to Squirrelflight, who looked just as stunned to see him among the starry cats as Hollyleaf. He took in another breath and continued. "I focused only on the past, and ruined my own life as well as others as a result. I should have moved on, I should have focused on what I truly loved most: ThunderClan. I let the past control my future," He turned back to Hollyleaf. "Lead your life forwards, not back...as I once did."

Too stunned to respond, the black she-cat had merely nodded. Then the StarClan warriors were joined by unfamiliar cats whose images were faded with time, and they spoke to a new cat sitting just tail lengths away. She turned and saw the pale shape of her dearest friend, the one who had truly brought her back to ThunderClan...Fallen Leaves...

The Ancients and StarClan decreed that he to had proved himself worthy of a second chance, as he had aided all the Clans more than even he knew. The thin ginger and white tom suddenly became less transparent, his fur having more volume, and his green eyes bright as the star themselves. He leapt with his back haunches and declares he was really alive. He ran to her and buried his face in her long fur and declared that he was so happy she was back, and that he never wanted to be without her again. Though still bewildered by it all, she had pressed her muzzle against the resurrected tom's shoulder and whispered that she felt the same about him.

After the battle was over, all of ThunderClan had accepted the decree of StarClan and the Ancients and Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves fell into their place as warriors. At the next Gathering the other Clans revealed that two of their fallen had been resurrected as well, and all the cats had cheered their names as though they were new apprentices. Despite how well received she was given her strange circumstances, it still help unnatural to Hollyleaf.

 _Why me, of all of the fallen?_ It was the question she asked herself time and time again. But no matter how much time she spent on the question, no answer every showed itself to her. Even with two cats restored in each Clan, the losses were far greater. She cried out and cursed the sky for being chosen to be resurrected over Sorreltail, who died just after the battle's end, leaving her kits orphaned. And Fallen Leaves ran back to the tunnels and called out for his Ancient brethren to take back his gift and restore Foxleap since he was a true ThunderClan cat, but he had received no answer.

Neither cat would be able to handle the guilt without each other, for they were the only ones who could ever understand, and Hollyleaf would always be grateful she had Fallen Leaves to support her in this strange new life they led together.

A rumble from her stomach broke her silent reflection on the past few moons of her second life. Even with getting the first pick of the freshkill pile, Hollyleaf felt hunger gnaw at her stomach like a stubborn badger. She wasn't just eating for herself she knew, but for her kits. _Mine and Fallen Leaves' kits..._ She mused silently as her whiskers twitched in the frosty night air.

She'd given up the idea of ever being a mother the moment her claws broke through Ashfur's flesh, but even before that she'd never found a tom in the Clan who seemed to be a match for her. It was funny to her sometimes that on top of being half-Clan, a murderer, and resurrected that the only tom she'd ever really liked had been a ghost. And yet, here she was expecting the former Ancient's kits. Fallen Leaves had worked harder then ten apprentices combined to work hard for the Clan. His hunting and fighting skills had needed some refining, but his chipper and empathetic disposition made him feel as though he'd been a cat of ThunderClan for many moons.

Despite all the guilt, frustration, and confusion she'd felt since her resurrection...Hollyleaf loved her new mate and felt more peaceful and happy than she had in many seasons.

"Your kits will be born frozen if you keep sitting out like this at night." Said a gruff mew that could only belong to her brother, Jayfeather.

The medicine cat padded through the snow, trying to fluff out his thin pelt as best he could. It always amazed Hollyleaf, though she'd spent her entire life alongside him, that he almost never tripped or stumbled despite his blindness. "More like the medicine cat to deliver them will be frozen." She countered with a purr and the mottled gray tom sat beside her. She pressed her side against him to try and warm him some.

"I'll live." He replied dryly. His blind blue eyes seemed even more clouded, as though from emotion or lack of sleep. She knew that whichever it was, it was because of losing Briarlight.

Hollyleaf wrapped her bushy tail around her brother. "I know you dedicated so much of yourself to helping Briarlight. No cat lives forever..."

Jayfeather twitched his whiskers in amusement. "Strange hearing that from one of the Risen." Though he hadn't meant to cause it, the medicine cat's words made her flinch with the familiar guilt she felt. He sighed before meowing, "StarClan chose you because you deserved a second chance. Not all cats get them, even those who may deserve them, so don't waste yours worrying about whether or not you're worthy of it." He prodded her belly gently with his paw. "Besides, you're bringing new lives into the world now. No cat wants a mother who's always wondering whether or not she should be dead."

"I know," Hollyleaf muttered softly. "I just hope they aren't punished because of me..."

Her brother huffed. "Punished how?"

"I can't help but feel like I-like I've dodged my fate." Her paws tingled with embarrassment at confessing this to the gray tom. Jayfeather had a way of making everyone who confided in him feel like an apprentice admitting to their mentor that they'd disobeyed them. "Now what if my kits suffer for it?"

Jayfeather rolled his blind blue eyes but he softened his tone. "Oh for StarClan's sake...Hollyleaf, your kits will have their own destinies to follow, just like you have your own. Yours has led you here, to be their mother. Now come on," He got to his paws. "Let's see if there isn't a mouse left for you before your stomach wakes the whole camp."

As though prompted, her belly rumbled again. She licked her chest fur a few times in embarassment before she heaved her bulky body up and followed her littermate across the camp. She perked up when she found a small finch still laying in the freshkill pile. It was somewhat frosty, but still edible unlike the Jayfeather lectured her about what she needed to do from now until the kits arrived as she ate, not minding too much since crunching on the half-frozen meat helped drown out quite a bit of it.

"And don't even think about trying to hunt this close to birthing. Sorreltail kitting outside camp was bad enough, and that was in greenleaf...And at least every other day you need to come to my den or send an apprentice to fetch a dose of borage and juniper berries to help prepare for labor... If you think I'm fussing too much than you can complain to the other queens, but they'll tell you I'm not treating you any differently because you're my sister..." Jayfeather could give orders until his tongue fell out of his mouth, and even then he'd keep trying.

Hollyleaf purred. "Oh, the whole Clan knows you'd never fuss too much, Jayfeather."

As her brother continued to rant on, she felt her kits twitch once again inside her. A spark of fear remained within her, but a flame of determination and love for her kin and friends prevailed.

 _This is my destiny..._ She thought to herself as she looked up toward Silverpelt. _I am to be the mother of these kits, and to serve ThunderClan for the rest of my restored life. I will not fail either task, and I will always try to help guide my kits toward their own destinies._


	4. Chapter 1

"It's not as scary as it looks, I promise." Daisy mewed as she ran her tongue along Turtlekit's pelt, grooming him as though he were her own son to make sure he looked his best for his apprenticeship ceremony. "Bramblestar will call you up, give you your new name, the Clan will cheer, and then you'll get your mentor and touch noses with them."

Turtlekit had never felt so anxious in his life, it felt like his paws were buzzing like a bumblebee in excitement while his stomach coiled tight like a snake in its burrow. Today really was the day, he was going to become an apprentice of ThunderClan. He wasn't so upset about leaving the nursery, it was getting too crowded, especially with Dovewing having moved in two sunrises ago. He knew that he'd get to see his mother everyday and as an apprentice he could visit Daisy when he came to clean out the bedding, but what he didn't want was all the attention that was going to be placed on him. All his life all he every heard about was how special he was to be the son of two of the Risen. He knew that his parents were different, but why did that make him different too?

"Hollyleaf, I'm clean already!" Silverkit squealed just a few tail lengths away being groomed by their mother, Hollyleaf, and as always the silvery white and ginger kit had her long pelt ruffled in frustration at being given a bath. "I can't start my training if you're holding me between your paws like you're hogging a mossball!"

But the black she-cat handled her daughter's fussing like it was nothing, as she'd heard it loads of times. "Hush, if I let you go before the ceremony you'll tumble around in the loose sand and dust again. I won't have you looking like you've been rolling on the lake shore for a moon!" She growled but with warmth and love in her eyes. "You'll have to keep this beautiful fur of yours shiny on your own from now on, I'll have warrior duties again."

Turtlekit let out an amused _mrrow_ as he looked up towards the highledge and saw Bramblestar, Squirrelflight, and Leafpool talking while they waited for the sunhigh patrol to return for the ceremony to begin. It was a warm day in mid-greenleaf, but not as hot as it had been, and the sun was shining into the stone hallow. Most of his other Clanmates were outside as well waiting for the ceremony. Across the camp sat Cinderheart and Lionblaze sharing tongues and watching their four-moon-old kits play fighting. The elders were sunning themselves in front of their den, Cloudtail arguing about something that happened in the old forest with Graystripe while their mates looked on amused. Blossomfall and Thornclaw were sharing prey under the shade of the fallen beech tree with Specklekit and Treekit, the latter complaining that the shrew he and sister were sharing was too chewy.

Soon they'd all be staring at him like he were a flying hedgehog stopping to rest in the middle of camp. He wanted to begin training, but he wished he could just be an apprentice from now on, did it really have to be such a big deal? Tomorrow no one would see him as anything other than another warrior in training, so why make such a fuss today?

As though she read his mind, Hollyleaf shifted her gaze to her son. "It's a tradition that goes back long before the Clans ever came to the lake," The black she-cat explained, the pride in her Clan shining in her leafy green eyes. "One of the duties of being leader is to assign mentors to train new warriors, and you'll begin to truly learn to live and breath the warrior code as you train. It's a milestone in every Clanmate's life we honor."

"I just don't want to make everyone think I'm a mousebrain for tripping over my own paws or saying something wrong or-or I don't know, getting the hiccups in the middle of it." Turtlekit muttered as Daisy ran a paw over his head gently to smooth the fur. He'd had been up half the night worrying about what could go wrong today.

"You'll do fine." Hollyleaf purred. "You're both going to grow up into fine warriors."

"Look! The patrol's back!" Silverkit chirped as Berrynose and Poppyfrost pushed through the thorn tunnel, followed by Lilyseed and Fallen Leaves, the pair's father.

The patchy ginger and white tom immediately headed toward the front of the nursery where his family were. Silverkit wriggled out of her mother's grasp and dashed toward the tom, and Turtlekit followed. The two kits pounced onto their father's back, who let out a fake wail as Turtlekit nipped playfully at his ears and Silverkit ordered him to surrender at once or feel the wrath of ThunderClan.

"I'm good as crowfood, I've been caught by the mightiest warriors in the whole forest!" Fallen Leaves purred as he flopped on the sandy ground of the camp.

"Oh don't be so dramatic." Silverkit mewed, clambering off him. "No real enemy would say that!"

"Yeah, we're not two moons old listening to elder's tales! We're much tougher!" Turtlekit tried to leap from his father's head but ended up tumbling over the tom's muzzle and landed in between his paws.

Fallen Leaves' eyes were shining with affection as he chuckled at his kits' antics. "You'll need to be tough if you're going to be picking ticks off the elders from now on!"

"Shh, don't ruin their enthusiasm telling them that." Hollyleaf meowed as she padded over, giving her mate's ear a small greeting lick.

Their father shrugged his shoulders and purred. "Well it's true..."

"We won't be picking ticks all the time," Turtlekit mewed as her shook the dust from his black tabby pelt. He paused as a fresh wave of anxiety crashed over him. "We won't, will we?"

"Of course not, don't be a mousebrain!" His sister hissed with a roll of her eyes. "Stop being so nervous already! We just sit there until we get mentors and touch our nose to theirs." She then softened her tone and pressed her muzzle against her brother's shoulder. "Look, whatever happens, we're in this together, okay?"

His stomach untightened a bit and he let a out a nervous laugh. "So if I trip and fall in a mud puddle, you'll jump in too?"

Silverkit's green eyes glowed in amusement. "Of course, just like you'll climb to the top of the Ancient Oak with me right after the ceremony!"

"You will do no such thing." Hollyleaf growled, her hard tone as serious as finding food in leafbare. Fallen Leaves just flicked his tail in amusement.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below the highledge for a Clan meeting!" Bramblestar's familiar gathering call rang out through the stone hallow, making Turtlekit feel frozen in place.

Silverkit padded forward with Hollyleaf beside her as the other cats gathered. Fallen Leaves gently nudged his son forward, giving him a comforting lick between the ears. "You're going to be fine." He whispered.

Turtlekit walked close beside the ginger and white tom like a kit their first time exploring the camp, trying his hardest to stay focused on Silverkit and Hollyleaf ahead of them to avoid the stares of all his congregating Clanmates. When they reached beneath the highledge, Hollyleaf smoothed his fur once more and pressed her muzzle against his shoulder.

"I'll always be proud of you." She whispered, the normally strong she-cat's voice wavering with emotion.

She did the same to his sister, then stepped back beside Fallen Leaves a few tail lengths back behind them. Bramblestar's amber gaze was fixed on Turtlekit and his sister and though he was large and intimidating to him most of the time, the black tabby could feel affection and pride in his eyes, which made him feel a bit better in an odd way. The leader shifted his glance upwards to the rest of the hollow and started to speak.

"Cats of ThunderClan," The dark brown tabby began. "We have weathered many hardships in the last seasons and lost many of our Clanmates. The Great Storm drove us from the stone hollow and took away one of our elders and two of our young cats." Turtlekit looked over his shoulder at Berrynose and Poppyfrost, who lowered their heads in memory of their daughter, Cherryleap, who had drowned trying to save the elder Purdy. Lilyseed's blue eyes a few tail lengths away also glowed with sadness remember her sister, Seedpaw.

"We lost many old friends to greencough, along with several young fit cats who deserved moons and moons more of life than they received." He noticed the elder couple, Brightheart and Cloudtail, entwine their tails as the memory of their son, Dewkit, who died a few sunrises before his siblings were apprenticed.

"And we battled the Dark Forest in leaf-fall, where many brave cats from all Clans gave their lives to keep the warrior code alive." The leader paused a moment as the stone hallow went eerily silent as the dead were remembered. "But also we have been blessed with the miracles of StarClan." His amber eyes opened again, his voice strong and echoing. "Hollyleaf was given back to our Clan for her selfless service to her Clanmates, and we welcomed to Fallen Leaves into our ranks as even from beyond life he aided cats in need and proved himself worthy of belonging to ThunderClan."

Cats called out in approval all around them, chanting Turtlekit's parents names. "Hollyleaf! Fallen Leaves!"

"And today, we celebrate the new life their return has brought to us. Their kits are ready to become apprentices of ThunderClan!" Bramblestar looked back down at Turtlekit and Silverkit. "I, Bramblestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these kits. They have grown old enough to learn the ways of your noble code, please help guide their paws along the path of the great warriors of old. Silverkit,"

Silverkit's ears pricked and she stepped forward. Turtlekit could tell that his sister was just as nervous as he was despite her bold nature, as she was twitching her tail anxiously and her haunches trembles ever so slightly as she fought to keep her long pelt from bristling.

"Is it your wish to train as a warrior of ThunderClan?"

"It is." Silverkit responded clearly, raising her head to look her leader in the eye.

 _I'm next..._ Turtlekit thought as his neck fur ruffled.

"From this point forward, until she earns her warrior name, this apprentice shall be known as Silverpaw." The great tabby tom meowed.

"Silverpaw! Silverpaw!" The chorus of their Clanmates yowled out. Turtlekit added his voice as well, though he felt drowned in all the noise.

Bramblestar raised his tail to silence the crowd. "Icecloud, you have served your Clan with pride and dedication throughout even our darkest days. You have always persevered and are a skilled hunter and fighter. I know you will be a great mentor of Silverpaw."

The pure white she-cat padded forward to his sister and touched noses with the newly named Silverpaw, both their eyes glistening with excitement. The new pair stepped aside and Bramblestar spoke again.

"Turtlekit, is it your wish to train as a warrior of ThunderClan?"

It felt as though time stopped as Turtlekit stood and took what seemed to be huge steps forward. He could feel the heat of all his Clanmate's gazes along with the midday sun blazing against his dark pelt, but he was determined to make his parents proud and impress his new mentor, so he opened his jaws and replied as calmly as he could. "Yes, it is."

Bramblestar twitched his whiskers at the young tom, seemingly especially pleased with him. "From this moment forward, until he earns his warrior name, this apprentice shall be known as Turtlepaw."

"Turtlepaw! Turtlepaw!" His new name rang in his ears and his heart soared as high as Silverpelt. Turtlepaw could hear his parents calling out especially loud behind him and he knew that the worst of the ceremony had passed, and even more miraculously, it hadn't been as bad as he thought.

Their leader silenced the hollow again with a swoop of his great tail. "Ivypool," Turtlepaw turned around and saw the silver and white tabby padding forward. "No cat could ever deny your unfailing loyalty and bravery. You are a brilliant fighter and hunter, and I know you will pass your skills and knowledge on to Turtlepaw."

Ivypool dipped her head to her leader and turned to Turtlepaw. He knew how respected Ivypool was by all the Clans and how brave she'd been to spy on The Dark Forest, which always made him feel a little frightened of her. But her dark blue gaze was full of nothing but kindness as she leaned her head down to touch noses with Turtlepaw.

They stepped aside together as Bramblestar finished. "ThunderClan is as strong as it was in the golden days of the old forest, and growing all the time! Let all of you be praised for doing your part to make our Clan great!"

Yowls of approval rang through the hollow as the meeting ended and the cats dispersed. Bramblestar and Squirrelflight leapt off the highledge and the dark ginger deputy called for Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves, asking if they'd like to join them for hunting to celebrate their kits apprenticeship. They couple agreed, but not before they padded over to Turtlepaw and Silverpaw and embraced them for a few moments.

"Listen to your mentors, and enjoy the forest." Hollyleaf said as she nuzzled Turtlepaw's scruff like she did when he was a small kit.

Fallen Leaves draped his tail along his shoulders and purred. "Have fun! We'll always be around if you need us."

As their parents padded off, Silverpaw let out an over the top groan. "Did your parents fuss over you so much when you got apprenticed?" She asked their mentors.

The warrior she-cats exchanged an amused glance.

"I was so excited that day I don't remember..." Ivypool meowed, studying the siblings thoughtfully.

"Dustpelt was always so stern and serious, except when it was time for his kits to leave the nursery." Icecloud replied warmly. "He squeezed me so tight before my ceremonies I thought he'd flatten me!"

Turtlepaw let out a small laugh and shifted his paws awkwardly. _What now?_

Ivypool answered him almost immediately after. "I think there's still enough time to give them a full tour of the territory."

Silverpaw practically buzzed with joy. "Oh yes yes please! I want to see the Ancient Oak!" She bounced on her toes like a kit badgering the senior warriors coming home from a Gathering. "And the lake, and the ShadowClan border, does it really smell as bad as Spiderleg is always complaining?"

"They'll be plenty of time to see everything." Icecloud purred, putting a her paw on her new apprentice's shoulder gently. "Should we take them together or separate? Foxleap and I went with our mentors and another warrior to see one side of the territory and then met at The Ancient Oak and lake. Then we explored the other half, it was fun."

Ivypool nodded. "That sounds good." She turned to Turtlepaw. "Which border would you like to see first, ShadowClan or WindClan?"

Turtlepaw was caught off guard by the question as he thought their mentors would be decided everything for them from now on. "Er...WindClan I guess."

The silver and white tabby flicked her tail in acknowledgment while Icecloud purred to her own apprentice. "Guess you're going to find out what the ShadowClan border smells like first!"

Silverpaw nodded excitedly and trotted off beside the pure white warrior. She turned and called over her shoulder farewell to her Turtlepaw and that she'd see him at the Ancient Oak.

After they were gone, Ivypool beckoned him to follow her. "It's faster this way," She mewed. "You already know where the thorn barrier is to lead out of camp, but the dirtplace tunnel can be quicker if you had to hurry to help somewhere on this side of the territory. Or if you had to evacuate the camp during an attack."

Turtlepaw nodded as they followed the narrower tunnel past the dirtplace. Beyond some holly bushes, the forest in all its glory shown in the midday sun, making Turtlepaw's mouth gap wide as all the sights, sounds, and smells overwhelmed his senses.

"What do you smell?" Ivypool asked, slowing her pace beside the black tabby.

 _What do I smell?_ Turtlepaw's pelt prickled with anxiousness. Was he supposed to answer something in particular? At first he thought of not answering at all, but he didn't want seem unready for his training already. _Stop acting like a shy kit!_ He hissed internally at himself.

"Well...I can tell that there are some birds up in the trees." He began, staring up into the boughs of the oaks and sycamores that stretched above them. "Some sparrows, wood pigeons...maybe a black bird. I know their smells from the freshkill pile and the feathers Fallen Leaves would bring for our nests in the nursery. There's another scent...stronger and more musky..."

Ivypool nodded. "That stronger one is squirrel. They get that musky edge from their nests full of dead leaves." She let out a small purr. "Good. You already can distinguish between some different prey scents."

She stopped for a moment and beckoned Turtlepaw to stand in front of her with her tail. The warrior bent her head down towards the ground. "See here, the earth is more uneven than in the hollow," She meowed. "It's because of all the roots from the trees and the underbrush. It rained the day before last, so the ground is still a bit moist. It's good for hunting because you can unsheathe your claws without it cracking under dry soil."

Ivypool slid out her claws and raked them over the brown earth slowly to make her point. Turtlepaw did the same, pelt prickling with excitement all over again as he realized he was learning real warrior skills.

They continued through the forest, with Ivypool pointing out different things along the way. Turtlepaw just took everything in, nodding or giving a simple response to his mentor. The trees thinned as they reached a small, fast moving stream.

"This is the edge of ThunderClan territory, further past the stream here is no Clan's territory because it leads to the Moonpool." Ivypool explained. "We usually don't set border markers here because you'd have to already be deep in our territory to cross it."

The water glistened in the sunlight and a small green lizard was sunning himself on a flat stone near the stream's edge. It scampered under a crag in a bigger rock a tail-length away when the pair of cats got closer. Turtlepaw curiously sniffed the stone where the scaly creature had been sitting; it smelled odd, rough and cold like tree bark soggy from rain.

He wrinkled his nose. "Does ShadowClan really eat those things?" He mewed. He flattened his ears after the words left his mouth, worrying if it was a dumb thing to ask.

Ivypool laughed. "Not usually, but they will if there's nothing much else." The silver and white tabby gently touched her chin to his shoulder. "I know it's a lot to take in at once, but you're doing really well...I know it's all a bit overwhelming to go from kit to apprentice. I want you to know that I'm not just here to boss you around. I'm here to teach you, but also be here for _you_."

Ivypool's words made a comforting warmth rise in his chest. "Thank you, I just didn't want to sound like a mouse-brain chattering on like a woodpecker my first day..."

The she-cat nodded as they began to walk along the stream. "You aren't as talkative as your sister, I get it. That's not a bad thing. It means you listen and watch more while Silverpaw likes to ask questions and get answers directly. You learn by seeing and doing. Just because you aren't the most chatty cat doesn't mean you are any less dedicated to your training."

Turtlepaw felt a weight lifted from his shoulders as he padded beside his mentor; Ivypool had just voiced how he felt in such a way no cat ever had before. His parents had always had a silent understanding of how he was compared to his sister, but they'd never said it. It made him feel more at ease with the silver and white tabby as well.

After awhile, the trees on the other side of the stream thinned into nothing by low bushes and the earth sloped into high hills. Along with the terrain change, a new odor filled Turtlepaw's nostrils. It was strong, like fresh grass seed and dust.

"WindClan." His mentor mewed. "This is where our border with them begins. It follows this stream all the way to the lake. A border patrol must have just come through here, the scent markers are fresh."

Turtlepaw gazed out onto the open meadow and pasture of WindClan's territory. He wondered how they hunted with nowhere to hide. Then he remembered that his Clanmates sometimes called WindClan members "rabbit-chasers".

"Do they really run to catch all their food?" Turtlepaw asked, feeling more comfortable asking a question than before.

"Yes, that's their specialty. They're the fastest cats in all the Clans." Ivypool confirmed, flicking her tail towards a low, flatter part in the stream ahead of them. Turtlepaw's own forepaws would barely be submerged in the thin sheet of fast moving water. "Rabbits don't mind getting their paws wet to escape and neither do WindClan cats to get a meal, so this is where our border patrols come to make sure WindClan isn't crossing."

"Is it our prey after it crosses the stream?" The rocks and bushes that lined ThunderClan's side smelled equally as strong as the WindClan side.

Ivypool thought for a moment before answering. "Technically yes, but sometimes we will let them have it as a sign of good will. But other times we keep it, especially in leafbare when prey is stretched so thin."

Turtlepaw nodded as they continued onwards. They followed the stream all the to the lake, which shown bright blue in the sunshine. The new apprentice marveled at the size of the lake as Ivypool pointed out the Gathering island and RiverClan territory across the great body of water.

They ran into a hunting party made up of Ambermoon, Bumblestripe, and Molewhisker all carrying prey in their jaws as they headed back towards camp. The warriors gave them a nod of acknowledgement before they disappeared through the undergrowth. By the time they reached the Ancient Oak, Silverpaw and Icecloud were just arriving as well, the silvery white and ginger she-cat walking proudly with a vole between her jaws.

"Turtlepaw! Look!" Silverpaw meowed around the prey as she bounded over to Turtlepaw. She dropped it at her paws and continued. "We were just at the ShadowClan border and this vole scurried right out in front of us! I leapt forward and wham!" His sister swatted the air in front of her. "Icecloud said she'd never seen such a dumb vole!"

"Or such a lucky apprentice her first time out." Icecloud purred, blue eyes bright with pride.

"That's great!" Turtlepaw meowed, not wanting to sound disappointed that his exploration of the WindClan border hadn't been nearly as eventful.

Silverpaw sensed what was unsaid though, and gave him a friendly shove. "Oh don't look like that." She chided playfully. "You'll be able to catch more prey than me within a moon with your sleek pelt and small frame! All the mice will just think you're an otter lost from the lake!"

All four cats laughed before they moved on. Ivypool and Icecloud showed them the base of Sky Oak, explaining that they'd practice climbing here a few times during their training but sternly warned against the apprentices ever trying to climb it unsupervised. Silverpaw gave a mischievous glance at Turtlepaw, obviously remembering their conversation before their ceremony. Turtlepaw twitched his tail anxiously and hoped to StarClan she hadn't been serious, as seeing how high the Ancient Oak was had made him far less enthusiastic about following his sister to the top.

After the Ancient Oak, the pairs separated again to see the other half of the territory. The sun was slinking beneath the treeline by the time Turtlepaw was pushing his way through the thorn barrier, feeling as though boulders were stuck to his paws. ShadowClan's border hadn't been as smelly as he was expecting and no prey had jumped out in front of him like when Silverpaw had been there.

His mentor seemed to sense his deflated enthusiasm. "Not every day will be as exciting as this, but you'll still be learning valuable skills all the time, whether you know it or not." Ivypool meowed warmly as she turned and went to go sit with Dovewing and Bumblestripe by the nursery. "Go get something to eat and rest. You've done well your first day. And this is only the beginning!"

The beginning... His mentor's words brought back the spark of excitement and anxiety that had filled him this morning. Only the weariness of having walked more than any other day in his life kept him from bouncing like a kit as he padded to the freshkill pile where Silverpaw, Mudpaw, Yellowpaw, and Stormpaw were all sitting together already, sharing tongues and prey.

"There you are!" Silverpaw purred. "I've been dying to sink my teeth into this rabbit!"

From the ferns to the side of the pile the silvery white and ginger she-cat pulled out a small but plump rabbit.

Turtlepaw licked his lips. "Was the WindClan border as kind to you as that vole by ShadowClan?"

His sister rolled his eyes. "No mousebrain, Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves caught this special for us!"

The juicy meat tasted even better than usual. _No wonder the warriors and apprentices get grumpy about feeding the cats in the nursery and the elders first._ As they ate, twilight shone brightly on the stone walls of the hollow as cats lounged about and began to head to their dens for the night. Squirrelflight called for Snowbush to stand guard for the night and most of his other Clanmates were headed into their dens for the night. It felt unnatural for Turtlepaw to follow his sister to the cave where the apprentice's slept instead of the bramble bush of the nursery.

"Stormpaw and I made you both nests." Mudpaw meowed as she groomed her long pelt from her own nest. "Once you start hunting you can take a feather from each bird you catch to keep count, that's what we do!"

"We also like to sleep." The brown she-cat's brother, Yellowpaw, grumbled from his own nest, swooping his tail across the den floor and around himself to make his point.

Stormpaw chuckled as he circled around his own bundle of moss. "He really is Spiderleg's son."

Yellowpaw flattened his ears in irritation and huffed, but said no more. Turtlepaw and Silverpaw laid close together, the she-cat curling her fluffy tail around her brother's side like she used to when they were small kits in the curl of Hollyleaf's belly. It made the black tabby tom wonder if under her tough and eager front she was feeling overwhelmed by the sudden change from the first to be fed to one of the providers for the rest of ThunderClan.

 _This is just the beginning..._ Ivypool's words rang through his mind as he closed his eyes and slipped into a deep, well earned sleep.

* * *

WEW, first chapter done at last! Sorry for the delay, I've been busy finishing up this semester at school. This chapter was a lot of exposition obviously, so I'm dying to know: what do you think of Turtlepaw? He'll be our main protagonist for the rest of this book, so I want him to be likable and not a total Gary-Sue type. The same goes for Silverpaw. Let me know in a review! Chapter 2 will be here soonish!


	5. Chapter 2

Everything was wrong.

Turtlepaw was no longer in the apprentice's den...or anywhere familiar for that matter. When next he became aware of his surroundings he was in a cold, damp, and rotten smelling burrow with only a faintly lit opening ahead of him. He scrabbled to his paws and stumbled towards the exit, tripping on gnarled roots and stones obstructing his path.

 _What's happened to the hollow?_ He wondered to himself. _Has the sun disappeared again?_ Hollyleaf had told him stories of the time the sun turned black in the sky and how the trouble-making rogue Sol had claimed to have prophesied it to try and destroy the warrior code.

But there was no sign of any light, not true light, but instead a kind of glow that came off everything, just making it visible but still engulfed in shadows. The outside of burrow he'd been in wasn't any more inviting; all around him were tall, wide, dank tree trunks with mushrooms and brown moss all up them. The branches were so high Turtlepaw couldn't see them, and roots gutted out at all angles from the tree's bases and covered in thin, sharp thron-like brush. The air reeked of dampness and rot and it was cold enough for the ThunderClan apprentice to see his own breath.

 _I have to get out of here!_ Turtlepaw darted between an opening between two roots and whirled his head all around trying to find anything that would help him find his way, but to no avail. He hissed in disgust when he leapt over a spiny bush and landed in the shallow of what had to be the most repulsive body of water he'd ever seen.

It was a river, or at least as far as the young tom could tell it was. It's water was heavy and tinted a brownish gray like long spoiled prey. It moved along sluggishly like a bear freshly woken from its leafbare sleep and its water seemed to cling to Turtlepaw's fur long after he was out of it. He walked cautiously along its shore, which was mostly mud, save for a few pitiful clumps of long dead reeds along its edges.

With his heart pounding in his ears, Turtlepaw was trying to decide what to do next when suddenly two shapes appeared from above. They clung to the great trunks with their claws and slid down to the bare forest floor like giant squirrels.

"What in StarClan's name...?"

As soon as they landed it was obvious they were also cats, and two very ugly cats at that. They'd landed square across from him, making Turtlepaw back himself against a bunch of rotting fronds and raise his hackles defensively. A small, skinny pure white tom padded towards him first, raising his muzzle to taste the foul air, then flicked his tail for his companion to follow. A burly brown and white tabby tom with a large patch of fur missing at the base of his tail sat down beside him, ears pricked at attention.

They stared blankly at the apprentice, as though they were completely unphased by his presence or defensive stance. Turtlepaw instinctively unsheathed his claws and hissed at the cats, but didn't even earn a blink from them. They just stood in front of him, as though they were expecting him to say or do something.

Struggling to keep his tone even, Turtlepaw cleared his throat, "Where am I? What do you want?"

The two cats said nothing. Just kept staring. He sat there a few moments longer with their hollow eyes boring into him. These were such ugly cats. Both seemed half starved and boney, yet fierce and formidable opposition if they were foes in battle. Yet...they didn't seem to care he was on their territory, such as it was, at all.

Still keeping his gaze fixed on the strange twosome, the black tabby slowly began to move to the side and around them, waving his tail in wide motions as he stepped, confirming what he had already begun to suspect.

 _They can't see me...I'm invisible here!_

Just then, something pushed through the reeds where Turtlepaw had just been standing. Out stepped three more equally ugly cats, a small mottled tabby she-cat at the front, and unlike the toms was talkative.

"Snowtuft! Maggottail!" She growled, yellowed fangs flashing. "Our alliance is over. We claim this river as our own territory now. So get off!"

"Sparrowfeather," The white tom's voice was like claws on smooth stone. He turned his body slightly to reveal a long pink scar that seemed to wrap around his whole body. It made Turtlepaw slightly nauseous looking at it. "Not even you or your fish-breathed friends want this filthy mud puddle, so just shut up and listen before you go throwing your weight around!"

Snowtuft? Maggottail? Sparrowfeather? Those were Clan names...were these Clan cats?

 _No..._ Realization shot down Turtlepaw's spine like frigid lightning. _They_ were _Clan cats...once._

He was in the Dark Forest, where the stars never shined and evil cats' spirits slunk through the shadows alone for having betrayed their Clans and the warrior code in life. They'd broken through the veil of life and death and brought war to the lake to get revenge, and though they were defeated took many lives with them and left echos of fear throughout the four Clans.

But why was he here? Had he been summoned by some of these evil cats? _If they can't see or hear me...then I must be asleep and dreaming and this is some kind of vision! But I'm not medicine cat, why am I having one?_

The bickering of the five cats in front of him pulled him from his thoughts. He sat by the dead undergrowth's edge and pricked his ears to listen.

"Shove off you mange-pelts!" Growled the splotchy ginger and black tom who stood on one side of Sparrowfeather. "You both ran away like cowards from a ThunderClan queen during the Great Battle!"

The tom with fur missing from his tail base flared his nostrils but kept an even tone. "Better than being chased off by elders from ShadowClan like you, Patchfur."

 _They're talking about when they fought the Clans._ Turtlepaw watched the two parties scowling at each other, almost wishing they could hear him so that he could ask why in the world he was here.

"Speak plainly you foxhearts," The plump yet raggedy tabby she-cat on the other side of Sparrowfeather hissed. "What is it you want?"

"What we want, Rushtooth, is an answer." The brown and white cat he guessed was Maggottail meowed simply. "Will you join us when the time comes?"

"The time for what?" Patchfur snarled, lashing his tail.

Maggottail twitched his whiskers, amber gaze betraying nothing, and it was Snowtuft spoke again.

"We lost one battle with the Clans, are you really ready to give up and go back to this pathetic excuse for an afterlife?"

Silence fell over the group and cold wind swept in, making a thick mist rise from the foul river. Turtlepaw couldn't see his own paws on the ground beneath him through it.

 _This place reacts to them and their emotions._ He thought to himself as the wind and mist eerily swirled around the meeting cats.

" _The black wind will return and bring the darkness. The lake will run red and only one Clan will survive._ " Maggottail suddenly mewed solemnly. "Will you join us in our glorious return to power?"

The three of the other cats exchanged glances briefly before Rushtooth stepped forward, raising her head to be level with Maggottail's.

"Return to what? What are you planning, what exactly do you mean?" The she-cat demanded. Turtlepaw thought she must have nerves of granite to be able to stand face to face with such a menacing looking cat. "You're starting to sound like those soft StarClan cats, talking in riddles of nonsense!"

"Perhaps our fault last time was not thinking more like StarClan..." Maggottail said slowly, putting weight on each word carefully.

Sparrowfeather growled. "You want to be like StarClan? Then I'll shred you like that StarClan lover next time he shows his face by the river!"

Snowtuft laughed coldly. "You couldn't shred dried moss, much less a warrior like him."

 _StarClan lover?_ Turtlepaw has never heard of such a thing. Who were they talking about?

Sparrowfeather was going to retort but Maggottail cut her off. "We need an answer, will you join us?" The brown and white cat's tone was sharp, his patience obviously waning.

The brown tabby snorted. "Who died and made you leader?"

"Let's see...Tigerstar, Brokenstar, Shredtail...oh, and Mapleshade of course." Snowtuft meowed surreptitiously.

"At least she took the two her wronged her with them." Rushtooth said with her head bowed, as though in respect for the murderous tortoiseshell who'd had a bloodlust stretching back long before even Turtlepaw's great-grandfather, Firestar, came to the Clans.

"They've died the second death and they're leadership didn't lead us to victory," Maggottail growled. "That's why you need us, because we have a new vision."

Patchfur narrowed his eyes. "Vision for what?"

"For the future, you mouse-brain!" Snowtuft hissed at the skeptical trio. "Either follow us or rot here in your stinking bog!"

Patchfur bared his teeth and lunged for the white tom's throat, but Snowtuft made a huge leap out of the way and the ginger and black tom crashed into a dead bush right beside where Turtlepaw was standing. The dead twigs cracked like bones beneath the tom's weight and the sharp wood stabbed through his pelt in various places, making him whimper in pain like a pitiful chick fallen from its nest.

"If you're both done," Maggottail indifferently mewed as Patchfur limped back beside Sparrowfeather, stopping briefly to glare at Snowtuft. "Our vision is to have the legends of the Clans reborn, and it's already becoming reality."

Rushtooth's green eyes flashed with distrust and scorn. "What proof do you have?"

"Follow us to the rotten grove and we'll show you our proof." The brown and white tom got to his paws and began to turn to leave. "ShadowClan and ThunderClan are already there, gather others of RiverClan and get there soon," He swatted his tail in Sparrowfeather's face. "Or be left behind."

While Sparrowfeather cursed at Maggottail, Snowtuft padded after his companion, a smug look in his face, and the two were just about to pass Turtlepaw...when they both turned and looked directly at him. The dead cat's gazed made his stomach coil and his pelt stand on end, yet he felt frozen in place.

As panic rose within the ThunderClan tom, Maggottail narrowed his amber eyes before meowing, "And how long have you been watching?"

"TURTLEPAW!"

Ivypool's call saved him from the evil cats eyes as he returned to the waking world with a jolt of energy mixed with fear and confusion. Sitting up fast with his heart pounding like thunder in his ears, the black tabby was back in his moss nest with shaded light pouring in from the mouth of the cave that made the apprentice's den. Despite the familiar surroundings, his fur still refused to lay flat and he could've swore to StarClan that he could smell Patchfur's blood in the foul rotting air by the sluggish river.

 _What was that?_ He asked himself over and over. _Was what I saw really the Dark Forest or just a-_ His thoughts were broken by Ivypool, who came halfway in the den.

"Come on, sleepypaws." She meowed in a playful tone. "You don't want to still be asleep when Silverpaw gets back from dawn patrol, do you?"

"Oh uh...sorry I didn't realize how tired I was after yesterday..." He sputtered groggily. Standing, he shook his pelt out and briefly groomed his chest and paws.

"Don't worry, in a moon's time a walk through the territory will feel like nothing!" Ivypool laughed and moved out of the den's entrance before calling from outside, "Let's get moving, prey doesn't catch itself!"

The fear from his dream almost completely dissipated and was replaced with excitement as he realized that he was about to go on his very first hunting lesson. He darted out into the stone hollow, where the camp was wide awake with activity already.

He and Ivypool passed Leafpool who was sharing tongues with Lionblaze beside the fallen beech. Turtlepaw decided that maybe he should tell her or Jayfeather about his strange nightmare of the Dark Forest, but that could wait till after his hunt.

 _It was must have just been a dream..._ He told himself as her pushed through the thorn barrier with his mentor. _Probably just from the elder's tales of The Great Battle or something. I need to focus on my training!_

But no matter how much Turtlepaw wanted to just move on, Maggottail's words rang through his mind, and deep in his heart cold dread was creeping in. Only it would be some time before it's face would show itself.

* * *

Finally, another chapter done! I had a lot of trouble with this one trying to find the right way to introduce the dream/vision sequence but I'm pretty happy with how it came out. Made a slight canon change and had Mapleshade killed in the Great Battle as well as Tigerstar, Brokenstar, and Shredtail. She killed the spirit of Reedshine while she was fighting in RiverClan and then fought to the death with her former mate Appledusk. They ended up killing each other, which is what Rushtooth was referring too in this chapter.

NOTE: Maggottail's prophecy is important! "The black wind will return and bring the darkness. The lake will run red and only one Clan will survive."

Any ideas on what "the black wind" is and who "the one Clan to survive" will be? Tell me in the reviews!

Also let me know how you liked my RiverClan Dark Forest residents and how they were written! Sparrowfeather and Rushtooth are canon but Patchfur is an OC of mine. He is a thick and heavily matted furred, splotchy ginger and black tom with claw marks across his side and green eyes. He went to the Dark Forest because he was once deputy but attempted to kill the current RiverClan leader in order to gain control over the Clan, much like Tigerclaw. The leader overpowered him however and killed him instead.

And since they only were briefly or vaguely described in the books, here are the descriptions for Rushtooth and Sparrowfeather: Sparrowfeather is a small glossy furred mottled brown tabby she-cat with a black chin, sharp yellowed teeth, a large notch in one ear, and yellow eyes. She went to the Dark Forest for drowning the pregnant mate of her kithood crush; she tried to become his mate afterwards but became so frustrated that he was heartbroken over his previous mate that she tried to kill him too. She failed and was exiled from RiverClan and was hit by a Twoleg monster shortly thereafter. Rushtooth is a plump, long raggedy furred gray tabby she-cat with thin rippling stripes, a white muzzle, and green eyes. She went to the Dark Forest because one cold leafbare she began taking food from Twolegs to stay alive and killed the medicine cat apprentice who followed her there one day. The spirit of the medicine cat apprentice appeared to their old mentor in a dream and told them the truth of their death, and Rushtooth was killed in a rage by the young apprentice's mother.

Hopefully the next chapter will be up a lot sooner!


	6. Chapter 3

_NOTE: IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE AU INFORMATION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE STORY I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DO SO FOR THIS CHAPTER AS THE INFO THERE WILL BECOME ESPECIALLY RELEVANT IN THE COMING CHAPTERS AND FOR THE REST OF THE STORY._

* * *

The morning sun shone through the trees as Turtlepaw crept closer to the pigeon, who was peaking away at some freshly scattered seeds from a nearby bush, carefully placing his paws so not to make noise. He knew he'd have to be quick, even if he remained unseen. His white paws and muzzle gave him away even under the cover of the underbrush where his dark tabby pelt appeared as little more than a shadow.

Raising his hackles, tucking his tail, and unsheathing his claws...he rushed the dark gray bird and leapt just as it began to panic and launch off the forest floor. His claws met feathers and he sank his teeth into the pigeon's spine as he brought it to the ground. With a final tremble, his prey went limp. As satisfaction rose inside him, Silverpaw appeared out from a patch of ferns.

"Good catch!" Silverpaw purred as she padded forward and licked her brother's ear. "Told you this would pay off!"

Turtlepaw murmured warmly in agreement as he gathered up his catch. "We should probably head back now, Squirrelflight will be organizing patrols."

His sister nodded and they started off for the small hole they'd dug to deposite their previous catches. It was mid-morning now but the siblings had been up since the very first streaks of dawn had appeared on the horizon. Silverpaw had insisted they convince Icecloud and Ivypool to let them go hunting early today so they could make sure all the queens, kits, elders, medicine cats, and the night guard for camp had something to eat right when they woke up so they wouldn't have to wait for the first hunting patrol. The two she-cats had been uneasy about the idea, but once they saw their haul they wouldn't doubt them again.

Turtlepaw hoped Bramblestar would be out and about to see their catch, as tonight was the first Gathering since he and Silverpaw were made apprentices a half moon ago. The dark brown tabby leader would be deciding who would be allowed to attend the Gathering before sunset, and though he usually allowed new apprentices to go, Silverpaw insisted they impress him so they'd definitely get to go.

The black tabby felt especially proud as he slid through the thorn barrier into the stone hollow; he'd caught his pigeon, a vole, and two mice and Silverpaw had a plump shrew and a chaffinch dangling from her jaws. Icecloud and Ivypool were beneath the highledge listening while the dark ginger deputy gave the day's instructions. Silverpaw sat down close to the entrance, putting her prey between her paws and twitched her ears to tell her brother to do the same while they waited for their mentors to be done.

"I'll take the morning patrol with Birchfall, Yellowpaw, and Ambermoon." Squirrelflight was mewing from atop the halfrock, her dark ginger pelt bright in the morning sun. "Thornclaw, take Lilyseed, Fallen Leaves, and Stormpaw to hunt by the WindClan border. Double check they haven't been crossing. Hollyleaf, you'll take the sunhigh patrol..."

 _She's always so intense._ Turtlepaw thought as he watched Squirrelflight fire off orders like a woodpecker working against a tree. Her domineering attitude always gave a sense of security to the stone hollow though, and though they were not as close kin as they at one time were believed to be, Turtlepaw could see reflections of his mother and Silverpaw in her. He hoped he could be like more like them one day and not as hopelessly shy and a pushover as he saw himself.

 _I share blood with so many great cats..._ His parents were two of the Risen, both the mothers of his mother were daughters of the great Firestar, Lionblaze is one of the best fighters the Clans have ever seen, and even Jayfeather is so gifted, even if he was a grumpy old badger. _I can only hope to be even half like them by the time I'm a warrior._

"Well well," A deep rumbling voice purred to the side of the black tabby, making him jump slightly. Bramblestar himself was padding up to them, amber eyes warm with pride. "I see the two of you have excelled at your hunting training, no cat would have ever guessed you both were still in the nursery just a half moon ago."

Silverpaw beamed proudly at his words, until he mentioned how young they were, and her bright green eyes were flashing the way they did before she made a possibly rude comeback.

"We're just happy to help," Turtlepaw spoke quickly, shooting Silverpaw a glance not to get fresh with the leader. "There's probably still loads to learn though."

Bramblestar nodded. "A good warrior never ceases learning. There's always something new to be gained from your Clanmates. It's what makes us strong." The dark brown tabby paused before he tilted his head and chuckled slightly. "Don't worry, Silverpaw, I won't be boring you with a long lecture on Clan life. And thank you for how patiently you would have listened, Turtlepaw."

"Yeah he listens so much that Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves said they were afraid he couldn't talk at all when we were small kits!" Silverpaw meowed, giving Turtlepaw's shoulder a friendly flick with her tail. He would have shoved her and told her to shut up if his leader wasn't standing there so he just flattened his ears. It went without saying he hated it when his sister brought up embarrassing things he did as a kit.

Bramblestar let out a _mrrow_ of laughter. "I wish I had been such a keen listening at your age, or as good at keeping my composure when my sister teased me!" The tom softened his tone. "I'll be joining the hunting patrol now, you get instructions from your mentors for the rest of the day. I'll see you this evening before we leave for the Gathering."

Turtlepaw's spirits lifted like a leaf in a gale as his leader left him with his sister and their catch. "We did it!" Turtlepaw meowed once Bramblestar was out of earshot. "We get to go to the Gathering!"

Silverpaw's long silvery white and ginger pelt was fluffed out with excitement. "Told you this would get us there for sure!" She shoved him playfully. "Have more faith in me from now on, huh?"

Just then Squirrelflight dismissed the crowd of cats and leapt down to gather her patrol. Her agile movement, though he only say it out of the corner of his eye, made Turtlepaw stiffen and his neck fur bristle, thinking back to his nightmare in the Dark Forest, where the tom called Snowtuft had leapt like nothing he'd ever seen before out of the way of his attacker and sending them crashing into a splintery mess.

"Ugh...stupid gnat flew into my eyes..." He muttered to explain his reaction quickly as Silverpaw was now staring at him. He rubbed his paws over his face a few times to make it look more believable, and it seemed to have worked since his sister didn't press the matter further.

He hadn't told either Leafpool or Jayfeather about his nightmare in the end, as he hadn't had anymore since and the medicine cats had been extra strange acting lately. The mother and son had rushed back from their recent half moon meeting with the other medicine cats and had woken Squirrelflight and Bramblestar before daybreak to speak to them about something. Ivypool had been on watch duty that night and had told Dovewing about it, and since the pale gray she-cat had been mostly confined to the nursery since she was heavily pregnant, she'd spread the gossip all around the Clan by sunhigh.

Despite all the worried whispers, not a word had been said on the matter by Bramblestar, Squirrelflight, or the medicine cats. Their silence had caused a sense of worry to fester in the stone hollow, and with Jayfeather acting unusually scatter brained and Leafpool being uncharacteristicly short tempered the last few days, it was only getting stronger. Turtlepaw was worried too, but today all his thoughts were consumed by getting to go to the Gathering and meeting the other Clans for the first time.

He straightened himself as Ivypool and Icecloud approached, Squirrelflight and her patrol passing by the four of them.

"Bramblestar just told us how impressed he is," Icecloud meowed, bright blue eyes shining with pride. "And the proof is right at your paws!"

Ivypool nodded. "You both outperformed our expectations. You should be proud." The silver and white tabby purred. "I don't know if some of the older apprentices would have done so well unsupervised."

"StarClan knows Yellowpaw would have scared all the prey away with his grouchy face!" Silverpaw joked. "And Mudpaw would drive everything off with her chatter! Well..maybe the squirrels would think she was one of them..."

"No need for the frog to call the toad scaley." Icecloud replied with a hardened tone, casting a cautionary glance to her apprentice.

"Speaking of Mudpaw," Ivypool continued. "She's out gathering moss with Daisy and Rosepetal. Why don't the two of you go clean out the old bedding from the elders and check them for ticks while they eat some of this prey. By the time that's done the others are sure to be back so you can make them up fresh nests."

Turtlepaw's heart sank as soon as mouse bile was brought into the conversation, but he hadn't been expecting to get the rest of the day off just because he'd had a successful hunt that morning.

"I'll bring Jayfeather and Leafpool these mice and get the mouse bile if you'll clear out the bedding and take them the rest of the prey?" He volunteered, trying his best to cover the reluctance in his tone while he scooped up the mice by their tails.

Silverpaw blinked at him gratefully. Though no apprentice savored the job, he knew his sister had a special disdain for mouse bile since the first time they'd picked ticks from the elders she'd gotten it all over her fur. Hollyleaf and Turtlepaw had to help her wash three times over in the lake before she was even allowed to sleep in the apprentice's den again.

Ivypool nodded. "I think I'd get my pelt raked if Dovewing didn't get some of this pigeon though...maybe the other queens will get a bite or two."

After a laugh, the silver and white she-cat picked up the bird and beckoned her apprentice to follow while Icecloud and Silverpaw took the rest of the prey and headed toward the elder's den. Passing the nursery, Turtlepaw saw that Dovewing looked as round as a hedgehog as she lay sunning her large belly in front of the den's entrance. Her amber eyes gleamed and whiskers twitched happily as Ivypool presented the pigeon.

"My kits and I thank you, Turtlepaw!" The pale gray queen called out, to which the apprentice gave a simple nod of acknowledgement. "I'm sure they'll have a taste for pigeon when they're old enough now!"

He hurried on. He'd heard that all queens acted a bit strange before they kitted, but sometimes they acted like bird drunken off eating over-ripened berries. _Makes me glad I'm a tom._

As he entered the Bramble screened medicine cats den, Turtlepaw froze as he walked in on Leafpool and Jayfeather in each other's faces, looking as if they might cuff one another over the head at any moment.

"You need to come too, we all need to be there tonight." The blind healer hissed, thrashing his tail. "You agreed!"

"Don't act like a stubborn apprentice!" Leafpool snorted. "Dovewing is due any day, I don't want to leave her unattended."

"Bumblestripe already is staying with her tonight! And Cinderheart will be with her!"

"You're not changing my mind," Leafpool growled, amber eyes blazing with seriousness. "So either leave me in camp tonight or try to convince Lionblaze to drag me all the way to the island! And you'll both have some more scars on your pelts by the night's end in that case!" The pale brown tabby then noticed Turtlepaw standing in the den's entrance. "Turtlepaw...what is it?"

"Uh...I brought you some prey. Silverpaw and I went hunting early," The black tabby explained awkwardly, setting down the prey and shifting uncomfortably as Jayfeather's blind blue eyes bore into him. "And I need some mouse bile for the elders."

Jayfeather mumbled something crossly under his breath as he began to rustle around in the outcoves of the cave where the different herbs were kept. Leafpool padded up to Turtlepaw and licked his ear.

"I'm sorry you had to hear us quarreling." She meowed softly. Hollyleaf's mother had always been interested in him and his sister, and no matter how serious her duties as medicine cat were she always brought warmth and friendliness with her presence. "Thank you for the mice. And give your sister our thanks as well." She continued while going over to a corner and taking some long beech leaves to wrap the mouse bile soaked moss in. "Don't mind Jayfeather, he was born grumpy-"

"But not deaf." The mottled gray tom chided from across the den, his thin silky fur ruffled in annoyance.

Leafpool rolled her eyes and laid out the leaves for her son to use. "We were just talking about the Gathering, I'm not going tonight since Dovewing is so close to kitting."

"Even though she's supposed to..." Jayfeather added as he reached into a deep crevice in the stone wall.

"And to think you wouldn't leave Hollyleaf alone in the days leading up to Turtlepaw being born..." Leafpool reminisced warmly while she sat down on the sandy floor next to Turtlepaw and began to her eat the mouse. "He sat beside her for almost every moment of the day and whenever she'd so much as sneeze he'd begin to squawk like a panicked pheasant: "Are the kits coming? Are the kits coming?"."

Turtlepaw blinked in surprise. "Did he really?" Somehow he couldn't imagine Jayfeather being so anxious. Even during the Great Storm when he was small and the camp flooded he'd remained level headed.

Jayfeather growled. "It was her first litter...I had my reasons to be extra cautious. And it was leafbare still."

"And yet you're about to claw my pelt off for doing the same for Dovewing!" Leafpool laughed before leaning into Turtlepaw's ear and saying, "You see he really cares about your mother and you and your sister a lot...he just has never been good at...uh, _admitting_ how much he cares."

"Still not deaf." Jayfeather huffed as he folded some beech leaves over carefully. "Here, come get your mouse bile."

Wrinkling his nose at the stench of the foul liquid, he thanked the medicine cats leaving for the elder's den, gently holding the leafy bundle in his jaws. All four of the elders were laying outside the den made under the boughs of the fallen beech tree, and the rustling inside and the pile of old moss in the entrance told Turtlepaw that Silverpaw was already busy clearing out the old bedding.

The job went smoothly, with only one tick being particularly difficult in Graystripe's thick long pelt, and he always enjoyed the banter between the older cats.

"Mmm this shrew is good," Graystripe purred in his rusty voice. "I dreamt I was stalking one just last night..."

"You can only move fast enough to hunt in your dreams nowadays!" Cloudtail had observed playfully while he shared the chaffinch with his mate, Brightheart.

"Ah yes, but at least I never was tempted away from the Clan with kittypet pellets!" Graystripe responded without missing a beat, yellow eyes shining.

"Hey that's not fair!" Cloudtail grumbled before looking to Brightheart for support. "I was taken against my will, you remember don't you?"

"I remember dear..." The ginger and white she-cat mewed patiently.

"Might not have happened if you'd not been stopping by for a snack every afternoon..." The dark gray tom replied with a chuckle.

"Now see here!" Cloudtail half rose to his paws, heavy white pelt bristling.

"Oh Silverpaw dear," Millie had called into the den where the silvery white and ginger apprentice was working. "Take a break and come share some of my vole, you won't want to miss this, they're really going to go at it!"

After Mudpaw, Daisy, and Rosepetal had returned with the fresh bedding, Turtlepaw and Silverpaw carefully made up four nests in two pairs for the elders. Since it was well after sunhigh now, the siblings shared a sparrow after Icecloud and Ivypool had informed them to eat and get some rest before time to go to the Gathering.

Turtlepaw had to toss and turn a few times before he could quell his excitement enough to fall asleep in his mossy nest beside his sister.

 _Tonight I'll see the Gathering island at last!_ He mused as he began to doze off, heart feeling light and warm. _I wonder if RiverClan cats will really have fish breath...and if all the WindClan cats talk about is rabbits..._

Peaceful darkness and silence drifted over the apprentice shortly thereafter.

...only to be replaced slowly with an eerie echoing quiet...

All at once cold and dampness overcame his senses, and when Turtlepaw opened his eyes, he was horrified to see towering tree trunks and thorny underbrush with a slimy green or gray glow around them.

 _No...not again!_

Leaping up and scanning his surroundings, he confirmed the worst: he was once again in the Dark Forest. Turning around he saw that he was just a few tail lengths away from the foul river the slithered beneath the dark boughs. Its glow was brownish tinged rather than the blue of the lake and clear water of the streams in ThunderClan's territory. It made him feel sick just looking at it.

Digging his claws into the rotten earth, Turtlepaw closed his eyes and fiercely willed himself to wake up.

"You're not really here..." He whispered to himself. "You're not really here. Wake up...wake up! Wake-"

Just then a rustle from a leafless bush made him jump back to attention. Struggling to keep his tail from tucking between his legs in terror, the black tabby tensed his body as a shape emerged, and at first he was so taken aback he gasped.

"Bramblestar!" He breathed in disbelief. "But..."

The cat was a huge dark brown tabby tom, but as he drew closer Turtlepaw could see that his stripes were long, thick, and spaced out instead of close together and curvy like his leader's. He also had a snowy white belly and pale icey blue eyes that cut like the hooked claws on the end of his huge paws.

Much to his relief, the tom passed right by him which confirmed once again that he was invisible to the Dark Forest residents. Turtlepaw cautiously began to pad behind the strange cat who bore a shocking resemblance to ThunderClan's leader.

 _He can't be Tigerstar...Firestar killed him at The Great Battle's end._ Turtlepaw pondered as he watched the tom sit carefully at the sluggish water's edge, staring intently into the shallow end. _Then who is-_

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here!" A snide, grating voice came from the side of both Turtlepaw and the cat by the water.

From the shadows of one of the huge trees appeared two other toms, both disheveled and battle scarred. The tabby who sat by the river paid them no mind and continued to focus on the water only.

"Your beloved StarClan send you to preach to us?" The cat who'd spoke initially continued. He was a short haired dark gray tabby with thin black stripes. "Or are you here to look down upon us from your perch of greatness, oh redeemed one!"

"Darkstripe," The tom by the river said finally. "Shut up."

 _Darkstripe..._ Turtlepaw shivered. _He betrayed ThunderClan twice over._ The former follower of Tigerstar and the infamous BloodClan had haunted to dreams of his kithood with the tale of how he fed deathberries to a defenseless kit and the older cats and former Dark Forest trainees still scorned him in conversation. It was hard to imagine that the kind elder Graystripe had been the one to rid the world of the living from this heartless brute.

"You have some nerve showing your face anywhere near other cats here!" The second tom, a mottled ginger and brown with a nicked ear and long scar across his throat, hissed.

"Or a death wish" Darkstripe added menacingly, baring his teeth.

"Then kill me." The tabby tom responded. "At least I won't have to hear your blathering anymore." He meowed.

His words were cold and empty, and edged with sadness as though he was truly weary of his afterlife. It frightened Turtlepaw more than the threats from the other two cats harassing him.

"Why not go play with your soft kittypet friends in StarClan, Hawkfrost?" The ginger and brown tom sneered, curling his lip like a serpent.

Hawkfrost! Of course, Bramblestar's half brother who'd tried to take over the Clans when they'd first come to the lake by trying to kill Firestar. He'd been killed by his own kin and had rotted alongside his wicked father in the Dark Forest and aided in recruiting living cats in their dreams for The Great Battle, but had fled in fear once the battle actually started.

 _Is that why they hate him so much, because he ran away?_

"You know why I can't." Hawkfrost muttered, twitching his thick tail. "Why ask questions you know the answers too? Or do you just like to hear yourselves talk?"

The two toms laughed harshly.

"To think that you were once one of the strongest cats in The Place of No Stars!" Darkstripe cackled. "You're lucky that mangy kittypet Firestar killed your father...I would have _loved_ to have seen him tear into you after your treachery."

Treachery? Did traitors have treachery?

"At least I can think for myself," Hawkfrost growled. "You wandered around whimpering like a lost fox cub after Tigerstar was gone!"

"You're lucky you aren't worth shredding!" Darkstripe's eyes flashed with rage. "Tigerstar was a great cat! A true leader!"

"You know I'll end up shreddding _you_ is why you don't even lift a claw to me," Hawkfrost replied dryly. "And yes I know how great you thought Tigerstar was...yet he never loved you like you _worshipped_ him. He just used you. How pathetic."

Darkstripe snarled and shook as though the words had cut through his pelt. "You-you...fox hearted piece of half-Clan crowfood!" He sputtered. "Tigerstar made you what you are! Without him you're nothing!"

Turning to face his unwanted company at last, Hawkfrost snarled with blue eyes blazing, "Nothing is what I became the minute I began to listen to my father! He made me feel like I was nothing if I didn't listen to him. Without him, I could have _been something_."

"Is that what your precious little mate told you?" The ginger and brown cat snorted.

 _Mate?_ Turtlepaw thought in confusion. _I never heard of Hawkfrost having a mate._

"She wasn't my mate." Hawkfrost corrected him, turning back to the water. "I could never have been worthy of her after what I've done..."

"Awe you fell in love..." The mottled tom mocked. "She turned you into a coward! I respected you, I aspired to _be_ you! And you let that ThunderClan nobody turn you against your own chance at glory!"

 _She-cat from ThunderClan? But I always heard Hawkfrost was RiverClan...the only tie to ThunderClan he had was Bramblestar._ Turtlepaw's mind was spinning with all this information like a seed pod fluttering down. _And...did Hawkfrost_ betray _the Dark Forest?_

"I had no glory." The former RiverClan tom said darkly. "I only had grief and hatred. It was all my own doing, for choosing to be a shadow for my father to use to rule over everything. I'm sorry I set a horrible example for you, Redwillow. I only wished I'd had the courage to help you see the right path instead of just running away in fear of my father's wrath."

"Not so afraid that you didn't give away the positions of all our patrols to her before you went and hid like a scared rabbit!" The tom called Redwillow snarled.

"It was the only _good_ thing I could do."

Darkstripe rolled his eyes. "Trying to be so solemn and noble, just like his yellow-bellied brother."

Just then, Hawkfrost batted at the sluggish water with one of his massive paws. He pulled out a wide silver colored fish on one of his hooked claws. He tossed it up into the air and caught it between his jaws with skill Turtlepaw had never seen before. But as soon as his teeth applied any pressure, the image of the prey's scales and flesh disappeared and all the remained was a picked clean fish skeleton in Hawkfrost's mouth.

Redwillow laughed. "Forget that we don't get the gluttonous feast your beloved StarClan gets?"

"No, but bones are better than living on a diet of resent." The dark brown tabby growled through the fish carcass.

"Bones is all you'll ever get!" Darkstripe snidely purred. "Maggottail and Snowtuft have shown us a greater destiny than anything StarClan could ever have! We'll eat like it's never leafbare and they'll be nothing but mist and bones."

"I heard about Maggottail and Snowtuft's gambit when they went to bully Sparrowfeather and her pathetic group into going along with them." Hawkfrost began to turn to leave, but took one final look back at the other cats. "You're fools to follow them. They're so old they don't even remember what Clan they're from. They'll probably fade away before they ever even finish thinking out their 'great plan'!"

"Enjoy your bones, fishbreath! We have work to do!" Redwillow called after him as Hawkfrost padded down the shore.

Turtlepaw followed him slowly, trying to process what he'd just overheard. Not only was Hawkfrost hated by the other Dark Forest cats, but he had betrayed their patrol plans to a ThunderClan cat and refused to fight in the Great Battle at all. _He knew about those other cats meeting with Maggottail and Snowtuft...that means that unless I'm remembering my past dreams, this is_ real.

Hawkfrost took a turn suddenly away from the foul river and leapt over a mushroom covered log in one large graceful leap. Turtlepaw had to claw his way over and rushed to keep sight of the dark brown tabby in the shadowed forest.

 _He must be the StarClan lover that Sparrowfeather cat talked about! And when Maggottail saw someone watching the meetings...it must have been him somewhere behind me._ Turtlepaw thought as he followed Hawkfrost thought the misty dips between roots of the huge trees. _He even seems to hate it here. He's nothing like the other cats here, and nothing like the Hawkfrost I've heard about..._

 _...and who was the she-cat they were talking about..?_

"COME ON GET UP ALREADY!" Silverpaw's voice shattered his dream vision all at once. "It's time to go to to Gathering!"

* * *

WEW, TWO IN ONE WEEK! Hopefully I can keep this pace up :D

So this is where the AU really becomes prominent in this different version of Hawkfrost. I've always been very interested by his character and think that he could have been a very good cat if he'd gotten some sense knocked into him like Bramblestar was fortunate enough to.

There was a lot of back and forth banter this chapter, I hope it was easy to read and not too confusing. I really liked writing the scene between Turtlepaw and the medicine cats, because come on we all love that grumpy old furball Jayfeather!

But why are the medicine cats acting so strange? And why are they all supposed to be at the Gathering? What did Leafpool and Jayfeather have to talk about that was so important after their last visit to the Moonpool? The plot thickens!

If you've read the AU information then you probably already have a good idea who this "she-cat who changed Hawkfrost" is, but the consequences of this are yet to be seen!

Next chapter is the Gathering! We'll get some more familiar faces mixed in with some important plot points (even if they don't seem that important now, pay attention!).

Please please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter, I love your feedback! See you again soon guys!


	7. Chapter 4

Okay so this one came out insanely long but I'm fairly happy with it so instead of trying to chop it up I'm going to leave it as is (for now anyway).

* * *

The full moon shone brilliantly against the surface of the water as the majority of ThunderClan made its way across the border with WindClan, leaping over the stream that gurgled briskly into the lake. Turtlepaw padded in silence just behind his mentor, Ivypool, and his father, Fallen Leaves while Silverpaw was a bit behind him, chattering away with Mudpaw who was promising to introduce her to all the other apprentices once they reach the Gathering island.

He was as angry as a woken badger that he couldn't share her excitement. No matter how hard he tried to push away his thoughts of the murky Dark Forest and the cold sneers of its inhabitants at Hawkfrost, who'd seemed more miserable than evil, he couldn't shake them away like any other dream. _But why am I having them?_

All the stories he'd heard had said that you only dreamt of the Dark Forest if you were summoned by one of the spirits who dwelled there. He was always invisible to other cats when he dreamed, so how was he getting there to start with? Perhaps it really was just a series of dreams the apprentice was having but the attention to detail and character in it were far too _real_. And why did he always end up near Hawkfrost? He'd only ever existed to Turtlepaw in nursery tales and the huge tabby tom never spoke to him, so he wasn't trying to recruit him for another assault against the Clans.

 _These are dreams!_ Turtlepaw hissed inwardly after nearly losing his footing on some pebbles. _Nothing but dreams! They're turning you into a nervous wreck! Forget about them, you only get your first Gathering once!_ He pricked his ears and tried his best to focus instead on his Clanmates around him.

"...but I'm glad Leafpool stayed with her anyway." Ivypool was meowing to Fallen Leaves.

"It could just be a big litter," The white and ginger tom responded gently, touching the tip of his tail to the she-cat's shoulder. "The healers taught me that she-cats who still have a ways to go in their pregnancy can look like they're ready to give birth earlier than others if it's three kits or more."

 _See, you could have missed this, mousebrain!_ His father didn't speak too often of his past life with the Ancient group of cats who made their home by the lake. Usually he just would recall something his mother used to say or something about how they used to train as softpaws. Turtlepaw always thought that perhaps it made him sad to think of them so he never asked outright but he did love to hear details of his father's Ancient past.

Ivypool blinked gratefully for his kindness before sighing. "Jayfeather told me that more than likely she didn't pay notice to the early signs she was expecting." She lowered her voice. "Ever since she lost her powers she's always felt like she's had to do the work of two cats to make up for it."

Fallen Leaves nodded. "She's dedicated to her Clan. I'm sure she'll be just as passionate as a mother." He glanced over his shoulder at his son. "Nervous, Turtlepaw?"

His pelt burned with embarrassment, half because he _was_ nervous and half because he hadn't actually been being quiet the entire time _because_ he was nervous about the Gathering but because of bad dreams of all things.

"A bit," He responsed simply as the patrol made its way past the Horseplace. "But it's nothing I can't handle."

Fallen Leaves' green eyes glowed with pride as he slowed his pace to walk beside Turtlepaw, pressing his pelt against his. "Always brave beneath your shell." He purred. "It's okay to be nervous, StarClan knows I was the first Gathering I ever went to! Only Hollyleaf and Jayfeather had ever even known about me up until the Great Battle so you can imagine the stares I got."

"Giving Turtlepaw a pep talk so he won't completely stop functioning when Bramblestar announces him?" Silverpaw chirped as she ran up beside them suddenly. "Where's Hollyleaf?"

Turtlepaw glared at his littermate. "Do you have to point out for all the world to hear whenever I'm nervous!"

"Of course! Who else would then?" Silverpaw mewed warmly before giving her brother an affectionate lick on his ear.

"Your mother is a ways ahead with Lionblaze and Squirrelflight." Fallen Leaves answered with a _mrrow_ of laughter. "Lionblaze is worried that Cinderheart might have trouble adjusting from the nursery back to being a warrior when their kits get apprenticed in another moon or so. They're trying to cheer him up."

Silverpaw nodded. "I'll let them talk then. I was just wondering if Hollyleaf thought if Ashstar would acknowledge us."

The black tabby tilted his head curiously. "Why would she do that?"

"Because we're her kin. She's Crowfeather's mother." Silverpaw casually mewed.

While most of the drama regarding Hollyleaf's parentage has passed, cats still whispered about the conspiracy Squirrelflight and Leafpool maintained for moons and moons to hide not only the medicine cat having had kits but that she'd had them with a tom from WindClan. Turtlepaw could still sense unease in Hollyleaf and her littermate's voices whenever they spoke about it, despite being a good terms with Leafpool and Squirrelflight now.

"I don't think she will." Turtlepaw said as the Gathering island came into view at last. "They don't typically talk about breaking the warrior code unless it's important to something happening right then."

Silverpaw shrugged. "Well she might anyway- Oh look! The tree-bridge!"

The large sycamore tree that had fallen moons ago when the Clans had first journeyed to the lake laid with the roots sticking towards the starry sky and it's great trunk out over the lake where it's old boughs met the sandy ground of the island. Turtlepaw felt the flame of excitement finally begin to burn brightly within him as they approached.

"The bark should be dry." Ivypool told him as they waited their turn to file across the tree-bridge. "But if you feel like you're losing your balance stop moving and close your eyes a moment to reorient yourself."

"Unless you want to learn to swim like RiverClan!" Silverpaw teased, only to be reprimanded by Icecloud with a hard shove and something hissed at he'd in a low voice. The silvery white and ginger she-cat reluctantly nodded and looked sulky as she followed the snowy white warrior across the trunk.

Turtlepaw found the walk across a lot easier than he'd thought at first and he marveled at the cool air that rose from the lapping water below. The Gathering was held in a a grassy clearing formed in the ring of trees that made up the border of most of the island with a large oak near its center that had its top part long since sliced off by a lightning strike, but its lower limbs still grew leaves. Turtle felt every hair on his pelt became electric with joy as he saw a congregation of cats larger than any other he'd ever seen.

"WindClan and RiverClan are already here," He heard Spiderleg saying to Daisy. "WindClan has been arriving first to try and hide how much their ranks have shrunk."

His mate hissed at him not to be surly as they moved away, the whole of ThunderCla! to breaking off into mingle with the other Clans.

Ivypool nudged him. "Walk around and talk to cats. Our loyalty is always to our own Clan before others but you can still have friendships in other Clans, too." She scanned the crowd before her gaze settled on a light gray tabby with swirled stripes and the glossiest fur Turtlepaw had ever seen. "I'm going to talk to Mintfur. His mate is Icewing and she was expecting their kits last Gathering. They should have been born..." She looked thoughtfully at her apprentice. "Want to come along? He's very pleasant."

Turtlepaw shook his head. "That's alright. Mudpaw said she'd introduce me and Silverpaw to some other apprentices."

Ivypool flicked her ear in acknowledgment and told him that she'd be nearby should he need her before turning and padding towards the RiverClan tom. Turtlepaw sat down beside a thicket and took in the sights of the Gathering: Graystripe was touching noses with an elderly RiverClan tortoiseshell and Lilyseed and Snowbush were greeting a muscular ginger tom. He watched Squirrelflight and Bramblestar make their way to the oak that served as a perch for the leaders at the clearing's center, stopping to give their hellos to various cats before the dark ginger she-cat took her place among the roots while her mate made a huge leap up onto one of the branches, bowing his head in greeting to the leaders who were already present from RiverClan and WindClan. Bramblestar's athleticism made a shiver go through Turtlepaw as he remembered scrambling after Hawkfrost after he'd made a similar leap effortlessly over a log in the Dark Forest.

 _No! That was just a dream. This is what's really happening, now get it out of your head-_

"Are you Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves son?" The mew of an unfamiliar she-cat interrupted the young tom mentally scolding himself, making him jump. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!"

He turned himself to the she-cat quickly, flattening his ears in embarrassment. "No...no I'm sorry. Just trying to see as much as I can." He apologized awkwardly to the stranger tortoiseshell who had sat beside him. She was lean and short haired, from WindClan no doubt, and had a large white mark on her forehead breaking up her patches of brown, gray, and black. "Yes, I am their son. My name is Turtlepaw."

"Oh! So you are their kit!" The she-cat exclaimed with her dark amber eyes shining brightly. She turned and called out towards another bush. "I told you Crowfeather! This is him! Stop acting like a shy doe and come out!"

Out from the foliage emerged a sleek and slender tom. His pelt was only a single hue lighter than night black while his belly fur was slightly lighter. He padded towards them slowly with his long and muscular limbs.

 _He's built for running..._ Turtlepaw thought as the WindClan warrior sat down beside his Clanmate and stared at the black tabby tom, shuffling his paws and twitching his tail as though he was uncomfortable.

"This is Crowfeather," The she-cat meowed. "He wanted to come say hello but he's always been an odd duckling. I'm Sunstrike."

Turtlepaw bowed his head politely as it fully registered with him who these cats were. Crowfeather was Hollyleaf's father and Sunstrike was another one of the Risen brought back from the dead after the Great Battle.

"It's good to meet you both..." He said simply, unsure with how friendly he was supposed to be with his grandfather since he's denied his ThundeClan kits for so long. "Have you known my parents long, Sunstrike?"

"All the Risen talk often at Gatherings." The tortoiseshell meowed. "We have a lot in common as you can imagine... We were all so happy when Hollyleaf announced she was expecting!"

Crowfeather blinked his dark blue eyes, seemingly showing interest in Turtlepaw. "You're six moons old now?"

The apprentice nodded. "This is my first Gathering."

The dark gray tom merely flicked his ears and then all three cats were quiet as the WindClan tom looked around as though trying to think of something else to talk about. It Sunstrike broke the silence.

"Who's your mentor?"

"Ivypool." Turtlepaw answered, relieved that Sunstrike could actually make conversation. "My sister, Silverpaw, has Icecloud."

The she-cat purred. "Ivypool is one of the best cats in all the Clans! You'll learn lots from her. I don't know Icecloud very well but I'm sure she's a loyal and skilled warrior."

She cast a glance at Crowfeather as though prompting him to add something, but he just huffed in what seemed to be irritation. "You said everything there is to be said already!" He growled. "What do you want from me?"

"Forgive him Turtlepaw, socializing has never been his strong suit." Sunstrike sighed and rolled her eyes. "He really wanted to meet you though. He's been waiting for you and you sister to arrive since we got the island!"

Turtlepaw twitched his whiskers in surprise. "Really?" He looked at Crowfeather and realized for the first time how nervous the tom was, not unlike how he got himself. "I'm not that special though. Why were you hiding from me?"

"Uh...well...uh," Crowfeather stumbled while Sunstrike tried to cover up the fact that she was giggling. "Look ShadowClan finally got here."

It was true that the fourth Clan had arrived as more cats were pouring into the clearing led by a dark ginger tom who Turtlepaw guessed was Rowanstar. The ShadowClan leader padded through the clearing with two cats, one a pale tortoiseshell she-cat and the other a black and white tom, on either side of him.

"That's his mate Tawnypelt and the deputy, Crowfrost." Sunstrike explained to the black tabby. "Rowanstar is the youngest leader since Blackstar died during the Great Storm."

"It's always good to be informed." Crowfeather put in awkwardly. He flattened his ears in embarrassment and kneaded the grass with his claws, similar to what Turtlepaw did often times.

The ThunderClan apprentice suddenly felt a rush of sympathy for Crowfeather. _He's trying so hard. He's terrified of saying the wrong thing or sounding like a mousebrain. Only he comes off and stern and unfriendly while I always seem like a pushover..._

"It's okay, I understand how you feel. You don't need to feel afraid of talking to me! I won't judge you if you're awkward, what counts is your trying!" Turtlepaw blurt out before he could think through his words, wanting to make his kin feel better. "Er...yeah. I'm the same way so I understand is what I meant. Only I always sound like a mousebrain..."

Crowfeather stared in shock at Turtlepaw's outburst, making the black tabby turn away and lick his chest in embarrassment.

"What did I just walk into?" Silverpaw mewed as she walked up on the trio.

"Ah, so I guess you're Silverpaw." Sunstrike purred before introducing herself and her Clanmate and getting her up to speed on the conversation. "We were just chatting...but Crowfeather can be a bit, shy, and Turtlepaw was just trying to reassure him."

"You have kits don't you, what are their names?" Silverpaw asked.

While the she-cats has their conversation, Turtlepaw felt Crowfeather's long tail touch his shoulder. He turned to his grandfather, who's blue eyes were glistening with what seemed to be emotion.

"Thank you," He whispered in a small voice so neither of the she-cats could hear. "You've always had a kindness in your demeanor. I envy you for that. But don't worry about comforting a prickly old tom like me. I've managed so far..." Crowfeather's words seemed to take him far away to a different time and place. Though he didn't show it, Turtlepaw could tell the memory hurt.

The black tabby gently put one of his white forepaws on Crowfeather's, trying to give him a bit of comfort in whatever he was experiencing. The senior warrior came out from his melancholy reminiscing and gave a small nod to Turtlepaw. "You're going to grow up to be a better cat than I ever could have been." He mewed with a mixture of pride and sadness in his voice.

"Crowfeather," Silverpaw suddenly asked the dark gray tom. "I've always wondered about something. If you'd known about Leafpool's kits would you have come to live in ThunderClan?"

Turtlepaw almost yowled in dismay at his sister's upfront and most likely offensive question, but Crowfeather remained calm and only twitch his tail thoughtfully.

"I prefer to live my life moving forward and not focusing on what might have happened." He meowed solemnly. "If I had done that it could be possible the two of your wouldn't have been born."

"I guess that makes sense." Silverpaw agreed with an edge of disappointment in her voice since it wasn't the provocative answer she'd been searching for.

"There you two are!" The mew of Hollyleaf called from a few tail lengths away. The long haired she-cat trotted forward, long fur glossy in the light of the full moon. "Sunstrike? You aren't with your kits?"

The tortoiseshell shook her head as Hollyleaf sat down between Crowfeather and Turtlepaw. "Harespring stayed with them tonight with Heathertail. I needed to get out of camp."

Turtlepaw exchanged a confused glance with his sister. "Only two cats left in camp?" Silverpaw asked, curiousity and confusion in her tone. Stormpaw, Bumblestripe, Birchfall, Hazeltail, Dovewing, Cinderheart, and Leafpool had all remained in the stone hollow but it still felt like there were tons of ThunderClan warriors around.

 _If this is how many able bodied cats there are for a Gathering...then WindClan must not have many cats left anymore!_

Hollyleaf thrashed her tail and shot her daughter a stern look. "WindClan has fewer cats that need to stay in camp than ThunderClan."

Sunstrike nodded. "It's just mine and Harespring's kits who can't come to the Gatherings right now, and Heather-" The tortoiseshell stopped herself from finishing, gaze becoming filled with emotion and body stiffening. "Well Ashstar will talk about that..."

None of the ThunderClan cats probed further as it seemed to be a raw nerve with the WindClan queen, Hollyleaf instead began to talk to about her own kits.

"I only just got used to sleeping in the warrior's den again. The first few nights after their apprenticeship I kept waking up and almost panicking because they weren't beside me!" Hollyleaf purred, brushing her long tail against Turtlepaw and Silverpaw's backs.

He shifted his paws in embarrassment at her mother's fawning and noticed that Crowfeather's eyes flashed briefly in amusement.

"They've grown so much since the last time I saw them!" Sunstrike meowed warmly.

Her words caught Turtlepaw's attention however; what did she mean last time? And it occurred to him now that Crowfeather has said that he'd always had a kindness about him. "Have you two met us before?" He asked.

Sunstrike nodded. "Oh yes! You don't remember it of course, you were only two days old when we visited." The tortoiseshell explained as she stretched her forelegs. "Leafpool and Fallen Leaves waited for a patrol to pass on the border to relay the message back to camp that Hollyleaf had given birth." She gestured toward her Clanmate. "Crowfeather had asked them to. Then two sunrises later with Ashstar's permission he caught a plump rabbit as an offering of good will and I went with him to ThunderClan's camp to see you both and congratulate your mother face to face!"

Silverpaw gasped in surprise. "Wow, I never knew we got visitors!"

Hollyleaf chuckled. "Don't let the popularity go to your head," The black she-cat teased before she looked at Turtlepaw. "I guess I never mentioned it to either of you since the Great Storm happened so soon afterwards."

"Crowfeather even helped named you, Turtlepaw!" Sunstrike added.

"He did?" Turtlepaw looked at the senior WindClan warrior, who's short pelt was bristling uncomfortably at his Clanmate bringing up that fact.

Hollyleaf nodded. "Fallen Leaves and I had named Silverpaw after her unique coloring, but you were more difficult to name because you were so unassuming. You mostly stayed curled up in a ball and only mewled occasionally..."

"And then when Crowfeather entered the den you stretched out and opened your eyes for him!" Sunstrike recalled, dark amber eyes glowing with happiness at the memory. "He said 'he's like a turtle, he comes out of his shell at the right time' and Hollyleaf thought it was perfect for you!"

Turtlepaw was surprised but thought it made sense since Crowfeather has obviously been interested in him and his sister for a time prior. Hollyleaf touched her pelt to her father's, and while no outright affection was shown between the two, Turtlepaw could tell that the two cats had managed to form a kind of relationship after the Great Battle, even if Crowfeather was still getting used to it.

"Cats of all Clans, the Gathering is about to begin!" The yowl of Bramblestar echoed through the clearing. Immediately cats began to congregate around the great oak tree.

"I need to go find Nightcloud." Crowfeather meowed briskly as he got to his paws and left. "Take care Hollyleaf. The two of you train hard."

"I hope Nightcloud will be alright with Ashstar's announcements," Sunstrike muttered softly to Hollyleaf. "It's about, well...you'll hear about it shortly."

The black she-cat dark green eyes glowed with understanding about something Turtlepaw couldn't figure out. "Oh no..." She whispered to Sunstrike.

Silverpaw and Turtlepaw exchanged a glance before their mother shooed them to go sit with their mentors and the other apprentices. The black tabby found a place by Ivypool, Mintfur, and two other RiverClan cats he didn't know and Silverpaw sat close by with Icecloud, Rosepetal, and a few elders. Hollyleaf, Sunstrike, and Fallen Leaves went to sit with a ShadowClan she-cat who they seemed to know. Crowfeather was sitting off the side with a pure black she-cat he guessed was Nightcloud.

Ivypool leaned over to whisper in his ear. "The deputies sit at the roots. Point them out for me, I'll tell you if your right."

"Squirrelflight of course, the black and white tom is Crowfrost from ShadowClan...the short haired pale gray and white she-cat must be Gorsetail from RiverClan. And the dense furred black tom is Reedwhisker from RiverClan, right?"

His mentor purred. "Very good." She said before flicking her ears to the sides of the great tree. "The medicine cats sit around the tree, symbolizing the full moon. See there's Jayfeather."

The mottled tabby tom looked silver like frost in the moonlight and his face was tense with seriousness. _I wonder what the medicine cats needed all of their members here for._ He wondered, recalling when Jayfeather had gotten his tail in a twist over Leafpool staying with Dovewing earlier that day.

A blue gray she-cat on the lowest branch silenced the crowd suddenly. "This Gathering has begun!" She called out. Turtlepaw knew this could only be Mistystar, the half-Clan leader of RiverClan. "RiverClan is enjoying the plentiful season of greenleaf. Twolegs have been swimming at the half bridge and have been leaving some of their rubbish behind, but nothing to raise much concern." She paused briefly. "We bring joyous news as well. Icewing gave birth to two healthy she-kits just three sunrises after the last Gathering. Their names are Branchkit and Eelkit. The future of RiverClan looks bright!"

Murmurs of congratulations and good will filled the clearing and Turtlepaw could see Mintfur puffing out his chest in pride for his newborns.

Mistystar nodded to Rowanstar, he cleared his throat "ShadowClan also is fairing easily in the season of plenty." He meowed. "Our kits are growing up strong and our apprentices are training hard. Our warriors have noticed the smell of badger of our furthest border. We think it was a young rogue looking for a territory of its own but smelled our border marks and decided to find land it wouldn't have to fight for."

"I've never seen a badger..." Silverpaw commented.

"You don't want to." Cloudtail responded darkly from a few tail lengths away.

"We will continue to keep checking for it and will alert our neighbors in ThunderClan should the scent lead across the border in their territory." Rowanstar finished, flicking his tail towards Bramblestar who sat on the branch opposite him.

"Thank you for your consideration on the safety of my Clan, Rowanstar." The dark brown tabby meowed as he dipped his head respectfully. "ThunderClan is thriving in greenleaf. Our nursery is full, with Dovewing having moved there just a half moon ago." He paused for a moment while cats called out congratulations. Turtlepaw noticed Ivypool glaring at a dark brown tabby tom who looked a lot like Bramblestar across the clearing, who looked upset at hearing about Dovewing expecting. Then the ThunderClan leader got to the part Turtlepaw had been trying to prepare himself for all day. "And we have two new apprentices this moon, Turtlepaw and Silverpaw!"

"Turtlepaw! Silverpaw!" Cats from every Clan chanted in chorus toward the full moon in the sky. Turtlepaw felt pride buzz from his ear tips to his claws and lifted his head to savor the moment. Ivypool gave a friendly chuckle and for once Turtlepaw was not embarrassed.

"We are growing strong and will be well prepared for the hardships of leafbare." Bramblestar finished before turning to Ashstar on the tree limb slightly above him on the opposite side of the oak.

The ash-gray she-cat looked out among the crowd, face stern and serious. Turtlepaw couldn't help but notice the pale scar on the side of her neck where she'd been slain in the battle with the Dark Forest before her resurrection moons ago.

"WindClan is enjoying easier hunting with greenleaf, especially after such a trying leafbare after the Great Battle and the greencough outbreak that took many of our Clanmates from us." A respectful silence fell over the clearing. Her gaze was passionate and her tone even and stready. "And sadly we have yet another loss to report..."

Whispers immediately began to erupt from the crowd of cats before Ashstar could continue. "Save your gossip for later!" She snarled sharply, lashing her tail. Silence reigned again and the WindClan leader took in a deep breath before continuing. "As most of you are aware, Breezepelt disappeared from our camp one night when he was on night watch duty nearly three moons ago. When we discovered he was missing we spent two days searching for him all around the lake, from ShadowClan's pine forest to the tunnels on ThunderClan's land. We found not a trace of him anywhere. One of our search patrols found a stale scent trail leading across the thunderpath at our farthest border. I went with Crowfeather, Nightcloud, and Sedgewhisker to look for him on the other side, but we met a dog who forced us to retreat, and the next day it rained."

She paused for a moment, thinking through her next sentence carefully. Every cat was silent, engrossed in Ashstar's tale.

"Crowfeather and Nightcloud returned a few days later and searched several Twoleg dens but couldn't find anything except a stray scrap of his fur stuck on a Twoleg fence." Ashstar continued. "We stopped actively searching for him after this, but kept an eye out for him on all our borders. I asked Kestrelflight to consult StarClan on his whereabouts...and he reported our warrior ancestors no longer can see him." She glanced at the three other leaders around her, who were just as attentive as the rest of the cats, eyes wide. "With what we have discovered and the amount of time he has been gone, it is with a heavy heart that I officially prounounce Breezepelt," She paused and took in a breath. "As _dead_."

Yowls of shock rippled through the crowd, making Turtlepaw's pelt bristle uncomfortably. He'd remembered hearing about Breezepelt's disappearance when a WindClan patrol had come to the stone hollow asking for permission to search their territory, but never anything more. His half uncle didn't have the best history with his ThunderClan kin so he was unsure how to think of this revelation.

"You can't just give up on him like that!" An elderly ShadowClan tom growled. "He may have trained in the Dark Forest but he was still your Clanmate!"

"You forget yourself, Ratscar." Rowanstar meowed, shooting the elder a warning glance.

Ratscar snorted indifferently. "No Clanborn cat deserves to be forgotten like a lost piece of prey!"

"I say good riddance!" Poppyfrost called out from a pod of ThunderClan cats. "Even before the Great Battle he tried to murder me when I was expecting kits to blame Jayfeather to get him exiled!"

"What a ridiculous lie!" A light brown pointed tabby from WindClan snarled. "Breezepelt _saved me_ as a kit, along with my littermates! He was misguided true but he'd never do such a thing!"

"Wow, cats like to frame Jayfeather for murder!" Silverpaw exclaimed before Icecloud wrapped her tail over her mouth to keep her from saying anything else.

"Silence!" Bramblestar's roared over the arguing masses. "Ashstar has not finished, and let us not forget the truce of the full moon!"

Ashstar blinked gratefully before she resumed her report. "We sat vigil for him recently and will never forget his moons of service to us. We hope he is at peace, wherever he may be." She let silence fill the Gathering for a moment, bowing her head as though praying for her lost grandson. "In the midst of this tragedy, life has still gone on in WindClan. Nightcloud has retired to the elders den, where she will be sheltered and fed by her Clanmates to thank her for her seasons of loyalty till the end of her days."

"Nightcloud! Nightcloud!" The WindClan cats cheered, along with a few others from every Clan. The black she-cat looked miserable next to Crowfeather, jaw clenched and eyes burning with grief for her son.

"And Breezepelt also lives on in his kits, who were born to Heathertail a half moon ago." Ashstar added, which earned several gasps from the crowd. "Though their father is gone they will be raised with warmth and love by all of WindClan. Heathertail is the proud mother of two she-kits, named Brindlekit and Smokekit."

Mutters, whispers, and jeers all mixed as the she-cat leader finished:

"What a coward! Couldn't face fatherhood!"

"Poor Heathertail, having to raise them all alone..."

"Nightcloud was so ashamed of her son she couldn't be a warrior anymore!"

"What will they tell them about their father when they grow up?"

Turtlepaw could see Crowfeather licking the new elder between her ears and whispering something to her to try and comfort her, but tears rolled down Nightcloud's cheeks all the same. Hollyleaf looked stunned, as did Jayfeather and Lionblaze, but all of them remained silent.

"We share your grief for the loss of such a skilled young cat who still had so much to offer his Clan." Mistystar meowed gently, bringing the crowd back to attention.

Ashstar merely nodded. "And now before the Gathering's end, the medicine cats have an announcement for all the Clans to hear."

With the WindClan leader's prompt, the six medicine cats that formed a ring around the base of the oak stepped into the center of the crowd. Along with Jayfeather and the two medicine cats from RiverClan, Mothwing and Willowshine, who'd visited when he was a kit, the other three were strangers.

"The white dappled tom is Kestrelflight from WindClan. The old brown tabby tom is Littlecloud of ShadowClan, and the pale yellow tabby she-cat is his apprentice, Wasppaw." Ivypool whispered to him.

Turtlepaw nodded and pricked his ears and Willowshine began to speak.

"At our last halfmoon Gathering, we all shared the same dream from StarClan," The dark gray tabby meowed. "They have given us a prophecy for all the Clans that we were tasked with relaying to you all tonight."

"Before we do," Littlecloud stepped forward, his voice cracking with age. "We must first stress this rule that all the leaders and deputies have agreed to: any cat who thinks they might know something about the prophecy _must_ consult their medicine cat, deputy, and leader before acting in any way." Littlecloud broke out into a cough and Wasppaw stepped beside him and gently rubbed his side with her paw to soothe him.

Kestrelflight took the stand. "This is to ensure the safety of all cats, for this prophecy's fulfillment may be dangerous."

The dappled tom nodded to Jayfeather, who stepped up and announced the prophecy in his stern voice loudly for all to hear:

" _The lake will run red when the darkness descends and the black wind blows. The new stars must shine for all five Clans to survive._ "

Silence, followed by confused chatter like geese lost from their flock filled the night air.

"What does it mean?" A white tom from ShadowClan called out above the noise.

Jayfeather curled his lip. "If we knew, why would we be letting the rest of the Clans know!"

"What do they mean _five_ Clans?" An apprentice from RiverClan asked nearby. "There's only four."

"Does this mean StarClan may not even survive if the prophecy isn't fulfilled?" Graystripe wondered allowed.

"We don't know anymore than you do," Wasppaw called out to the crowd. "That is why we've announced it to you all so we can all figure it out together."

The bickering continued for awhile longer before the leaders put an end to it and announced the Gathering's finish. Cats continued talking afterwards; Ivypool introduced Turtlepaw to two more of the Risen, Hollowflight and Troutstream of RiverClan who had been sitting near them. The two tabbies were nice to him and even introduced their own apprentices, but Turtlepaw could barley remember what he'd said to them later on.

All he could think about was the prophecy.

Jayfeather's words buzzed in his mind like a bee trapped in foxglove. _The lake will run red when the darkness descends and the black wind blows. The new stars must shine for all five Clans to survive._ It wouldn't have bothered him nearly so much...if he hadn't heard a very similar prophecy given in the Dark Forest by Maggottail just a half moon before.

* * *

Wew that was a lot of info at once!

Is Breezepelt really dead? Will poor Nightcloud survive the loss of her son? Why was Tigerheart looking so glum at hearing about Dovewing's pregnancy? Is he the father or is Bumblestripe? Why does Turtlepaw continue to dream of the Dark Forest? Why does the prophecy given by StarClan to the medicine cats sound eerily similar to the one Maggottail gave to the other Dark Forest cats two chapters back? Why does Jayfeather get framed for murder a lot? The plot thickens! Tell me what you think the correct answers are!

Some (not all) of these questions will be answered next chapter and things will start to pick up speed as our rising action begins. Thank you everyone for your support with this story and please keep reviewing, it helps me keep the fire going!

See you next time!


	8. Chapter 5 - Part I

Whitewing pushed her way through another thicket, hissing in annoyance when scraps of vine and burr stuck to her thick pelt, and made her way up the unfamiliar ridge as she'd been instructed. She didn't come to this part of StarClan often. Once before she'd hunted with her dear old friend, Shrewpaw, around this cool and shadowy forest that bordered between ThunderClan and ShadowClan's loosely defined territories. The oaks and pines mingled as did the low lying pools and underbrush, making all sorts of prey plentiful.

Whitewing prefered the main part of ThunderClan's territory though, where things were a comforting mix of sights and smells from the old forest and from by the lake. She also preferred not leaving Dewkit alone for too long, but she knew that kindly Ferncloud would watch over him for her while the little gray and white tom tumbled around with Larchkit and Hollykit. It always surprised her how kits in StarClan seemed to exist in the most bliss of their ill fated demises.

She'd come to terms with her own death; she had been weakened by the battle with the Dark Forest and was easily picked off when greencough ravaged her Clan just two moons after. It was the cruel reality of life, and no cat living or dead could ever change that. Whitewing was focused on what she could change though. That's why she was here.

She lifted her muzzle and tasted the air; hints of watery river plants and pine sap dust were nearby. She wasn't far. After leaping over another bush, she located the cats she'd come to meet.

"Whitewing, there you are." Leopardstar greeted her with a flick of her tail. Even under the shade of the trees her spotted golden pelt glistened like morning dew. "I'm glad you came."

She bowed her head to the former RiverClan leader and to her other companion. "Greetings, Leopardstar; Russetfur, I hope you both are well."

The former deputy of ShadowClan twitched her whiskers in amusement and gave a small purr. "As well as we can be dead!" She joked.

"We don't have time for pleasantries," Leopardstar cut in, her tone as dry and serious as it had been during Gatherings when Whitewing was alive. "Our other Clanmates don't know we're here. We need to keep it that way if possible."

Russetfur thrashed her tail. "Wouldn't this be easier with them to help?"

The spotted tabby shook her head. "No. They're not willing to let go of past grudges to take us seriously."

"At least not yet." Whitewing added and shot a look at Leopardstar; if they didn't understand now, who were they to fault them for it? Then again Leopardstar has never been the most open minded cat during her nine lives...once she'd even supported Tigerstar's pureblood madness. "All cats can change with time, that's why we've come together."

"What about his mother?" The ShadowClan cat asked. "Is she coming?"

"No, it would have attracted too much attention if she'd come through StarClan's hunting grounds." Leopardstar explained. "We tell her what we decide after we're done here."

"And what are we deciding exactly?" Whitewing asked. She'd been asked suddenly to come by the RiverClan leader while she was sunning herself on the warming rocks the equivalent of two sunrises ago in StarClan. _'You know where your daughter's heart is being torn. You also know of the new dreamer in ThunderClan. Meet me along with Russetfur along the border of ShadowClan and ThunderClan two days from now. Come alone.'_

That was all she'd had to go on.

After exchanging a glance with her old friend, Russetfur sighed. "The thing is none of us are sure..."

Frustration prickled in the white she-cat's paws and she twitched her tail tip slowly against the forest floor. "I thought the two of you had some insight into all this..."

Leopardstar's thick pelt ruffled. "Expect prey to jump into your jaws just as easily?" She commented with a curled lip and a bit of a sneer. "ThunderClan _always_ is quick to want to do something but then is the first to get their tails in a twist if it isn't straight forward!"

Whitewing must have been seething with anger at the RiverClan cat's comments despite her best efforts not to verbally or physically react because Russetfur stepped between the two she-cats. "Enough," She growled. "We didn't come here to squabble." Leopardstar snorted at her old friend's words while Whitewing forcibly relaxed her tensed shoulders. "Alright. Let's first make sure we all have the same information on the situation." Russetfur nodded to Leopardstar to begin since she was the highest ranking among the three of them in life.

The spotted tabby was silent a moment and crumple some dead leaves between her claws. "Well, I assume you all know about the apprentice from ThunderClan who is the son of two of the Risen. He has been having dreams from neither StarClan nor The Place of No Stars, but of his own completely." The other two she-cats nodded to show they followed. Leopardstar flicked her ears before continuing: "StarClan's unanimous decision to resurrect two cats from every Clan after the battle was one we did out of the overwhelming feelings of liability and guilt for the events leading up the Great Battle. Russetfur, you know as well as I but you, Whitewing, we're still among the living-"

"I've heard all about it since I've entered my ancestors' hunting ground! My knowledge is as sound as both of yours." Whitewing retorted far more sharply than she'd intended. She wanted cuffed herself over the ear for that statement; she needed to stop being so defensive and proud if she wanted to make any progress.

Russetfur locked eyes with the ThunderClan cat. "We mean no disrespect, Whitewing." She said carefully, green gaze sincere.

Leopardstar did not give up her stern demeanor but nodded in agreement. "Your daughter has a large role in this situation, none of us have taken that fact lightly. Have you thought perhaps you might visit her?"

Whitewing shook her head. "No, she isn't ready to listen, anymore than our own Clanmates are, living and here. She's always been a cat to put others before herself and she still sees this attachment as an act of betrayal to her Clan...no matter how much it hurts her."

At that moment the former RiverClan leader's amber eyes gleamed with something as potent as a thorn piercing the tender paw of a kit. "You should be proud to be the mother of such a fine warrior." She wistfully meowed in a low voice, turning her eyes from both other cats. "Not all are worthy of such a blessing..." She added in little more than a whisper that was more to herself than to her companions. Whitewing was too surprised to respond and Russetfur touched her tail to her friend's side.

Leopardstar had always been such a headstrong and candid leader, never heisitating to speak her mind on anything, even in the twilight of her final life. But it was in this moment that Whitewing realized that like any other cat who'd ever lived she had hopes, dreams, and regrets that piled up on her shoulders.

 _She must have once wanted kits of her own...and Tigerstar used that to get her to go along with him._ Whitewing's chest suddenly grew heavy with guilt as it all clicked together in her head. She'd come here about seeking to talk through the judgement of a cat when she'd been judging Leopardstar with the same harshness.

"You helped shape Mistystar into a just and capable leader for your Clan." Whitewing mewed after a few minutes. "And I know that you're hear because the cat in question was close to your heart as well..."

Leopardstar's amber gaze warmed slightly from its usual diplomatic coldness for the first time. "He had so much potential, and still does...but like me he hasn't always followed the example of the proper cats."

"Tigerstar is gone now," Russetfur reminded her with a snort of disdain for the murderous tabby tom. "He's more free now than he's ever been in his existence, only he can't rightly enjoy it where he is." She shifted her gaze to Whitewing. "Your daughter will be key in this, we're sure of that much. Giving her the reassurance she needs to follow her heart will take some strategy though. But it can be done, even if she is such a headstrong cat. Look at the battle where I died, she was baited by Tigerstar and followed through."

Whitewing felt anger swell within her again. "Ivypool doesn't need to be _baited_ to do anything!" She hissed as love and sadness both stung at her heart at mentioning either of her kits' names.

Leopardstar let out a sigh and looked up at the treetops. "The apprentice must also be...persuaded. He doesn't want his own dreams anymore. He's as afraid of them as the rest of StarClan is!"

"He has a name, you know. It's Turtlepaw." Whitewing said dryly. "So StarClan have given him this power inadvertently?"

Russetfur nodded. "That's the simplest way to put it. He has special abilities of his own because his parents are both only alive from the divine intervention of StarClan."

"Like Dovewing's?"

"No," A deep mew sounded through the undergrowth from beside the trio of cats. "More similar to Jayfeather, if you want to use The Three for comparison."

The speaker came into view; it was a StarClan cat. His dark gray pelt was glistening with shining flecks of stardust. His fur was short and sleek, and his shoulders broad. Whitewing would have guessed that he was a WindClan cat if she were asked. His image was far fainter than her own or her companions, but he wasn't nearly as faded as some of the Ancients that had fought beside them in The Great Battle. His eyes were golden like the sun and had a similar warmth as well.

"Forgive us for our lateness," He meowed, flicking his tail and beckoning a second cat out from the brush. "Some of us had to travel longer ways."

This tom donned a much thicker pelt and had ice blue eyes that would cut like claws if you got on his bad side. The battle scars that crisscrossed his light gray body told that he'd been a fighter in his life.

"We're honored to have you both join us." Leopardstar meowed solemnly.

The light gray cat twitched his whiskers in acknowledgment while his companion briefly dipped his head.

"As I was saying," The dark gray cat mewed. "Turtlepaw has dreams that are sensitive to the plain of existence where spirits dwell, where the hunting grounds of StarClan and the Dark Forest are. This is because of the resurrected status of both of his parents."

"He doesn't know how to control his ability though," The other tom added. "Or even why his dreams are showing him...forgive me, the Dark Forest cat is named...?"

"Hawkfrost." Leopardstar told him, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Yes; he dreams of Hawkfrost because though he does not know him, Turtlepaw is a cat who can sense the injustice of cats not being given the second chances they deserve." The dark gray cat continued. "His heart leads him to them, he is unbiased and his judgement can and _must_ be trusted."

Whitewing tilted her head. "You sound as though this is all bigger than Hawkfrost."

"Because it is," The light gray tom huffed. "His power will be key in the fulfillment of the prophecy that has been given to the Clans. And to help him refine his gift, we must aid him in giving his first second chance to Hawkfrost."

The five cats were silent as the realization of what they must do set in. It filled Whitewing with excitement at doing something this important, but also with fear, as they would be alone in this venture. The rest of StarClan also knew of Turtlepaw's dreams but would not accept that Hawkfrost could be redeemable since they had once denied him into their ranks and he was kin with Tigerstar. If they tried to explain, they'd be silenced with a thousand yowls of disapproval before they could ever finish pleading their case.

"Then we must begin our work straight away," Russetfur declared, getting to her paws. "I will go see his mother and tell her what we're doing. She'll help however she can I know."

The other four cats murmured in agreement.

"Gray Wing," Leopardstar turned to the dark gray tom. "Since you have a particular interest in Turtlepaw, you should be his guide through all this."

The dark gray tom nodded. "I'll do my best. Gray Wing meowed, eyes bright with determination. "I'll be with him the next time he dreams."

Leopardstar twitched her ears in approval and turned to the ThunderClan she-cat. "Whitewing, would you go with me to talk to Hawkfrost? You're Ivypool's mother after all."

"Yes I will." Whitewing agreed. "But how will we get to him? Goodness knows how many of those Dark Forest brutes we'll run into trying to find him."

"I'll bring him to our border." The light gray tom volunteered. "I've put a number of cowards in there, and I'll send them elsewhere a second time if they give me any trouble." He flexed his claws against a peice of fallen bark to make his point.

"Thank you, Skystar." The spotted tabby responded, bowing her head.

Russetfur padded to the edge of two large pine trees. "We will meet here again in two days time to discuss what each of us have to report." The dark ginger she-cat turned and looked over her shoulder. "Until then." And with that the former ShadowClan deputy dashed through the pines.

"I will go and wait for our dreamer." Gray Wing bid the trio farewell and padded away through the undergrowth, leaving Whitewing with the two former leaders.

"Let's go." She mewed briskly, new found energy tingling in every hair on her pelt. Though she could not be with Ivypool anymore, she still had found a way help her. That was all that mattered to her now.

The three cats walked in silence through the mixed forest, heading for the more barren section of StarClan before you came to the jagged border where no starlight flowed and murderers and traitors slunk through the shadows.

Whitewing turned to Skystar. "Why have you come all this way to help us?" She asked curiously.

"I sympathize with him, if I'm honest." He explained. "I once did dreadful things all for an idea of what was right I refused to let go of out of fear and pride. Love cleared my vision, as well." Skystar's voice trailed off for a moment, blue eyes gleaming with memories far away in time but still close to his heart. "And of course the prophecy states that it's fulfillment will ensure the survival of all five of the Clans."

* * *

Five done! Wew!

So I have 25 chapters planned and then a four part bonus scene, so they'll be 24 more installments in this book. (A lot I know but the story is picking up so these will most likely start coming out faster!).

This chapter got divided in half because I felt that Turtlepaw couldn't get this much of an explanation out of just overhearing a conversation. I had a lot of fun writing from

Whitewing's point of view and the dynamic between her, Leopardstar, and Russetfur. I chose the three of them to be the only cats in StarClan interested in trying to help Hawkfrost since all of them have a direct or indirect connection to him: Leopardstar was his mentor and surrogate mother in a way, Russetfur kept Sasha's secret about Tigerstar being their father and was a good friend of hers, and Whitewing is Ivypool's mother who fell in love with Hawkfrost and triggered his change of heart. Refer back to the AU Info at the beginning of the story to get clarification on that.

I also wanted to find a way to include some of the characters from the "Dawn of The Clans" arc and I was really excited to get Gray Wing into the story since he's my one of my favorite characters! Skystar was included because he has quite a bit in common with Hawkfrost and for other reasons which will be revealed in time ;)

(If you've been reading the "A Vision of Shadows" arc though you may have a pretty good idea why Clear Sky is involved.)

As always, please send in reviews, I love the feedback! Let me know what you think of the five StarClan cats I chose to be on Team Hawkfrost!

Chapter 5: Part II will be our soon and we'll be returning to Turtlepaw's POV. Until then!


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